High School
by Arigazi
Summary: WiP. AU. Summary inside. Ryo x Seiji. Rowen x Cye. Ryo, Seiji, and Rowen are in high school and they're used to everything a certain way, until when Sophomore year starts a new student changes everything.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** This is just an AU fic. about our main guys. Basically, they're all in high school and Ryo's been running the school since he got there. Sye is a new exchange student and Kento comes in later too. Seiji, Ryo, and Rowen have already been classmates for a year and it's the beginning of the next one when their world is changed by the new arrival. Probably a lot of OOC. I guess. –shrugs- I made up a few of the teachers and there's a lot of humor and language and SLASHINESS between everyone. I'll tell you Ryo x Seiji are together, but it wouldn't be any fun to reveal the other partners. It's 'otherworldly', you know? Enjoy.

**Warnings: **I don't own any of the Ronins –who aren't Ronins here anyway. There is SLASH in here. You don't like... don't read. Simple enough. Oh, and there are quite a few language remarks and gestures that may be inappropriate if anyone really cares... I know I certainly don't, but...

**High School**

**Chapter 1**

The hot young sophomore rode into the parking lot on his bike.

First day of sophomore year... for him anyway.

He pulled his black bike helmet off and tossed his long black hair.

School had started, to everyone else, the day before, but he had gotten into –what the teachers would call- a fight, ten minutes into the day and class hadn't even started. It had been in the hallway and he had been suspended for the day.

He chuckled as he saw some familiar faces in the windows from the previous years. He had grown up with a lot of these jocks, but most of the people in the school before he had started the previous year, he hadn't known. It had taken only one year to establish his role in the hierarchy of Alabaster High School, Tokyo Japan. (A/N: I doubt this is an actual school, but work with me here.)

This handsome debonair devil on the black motorcycle is Ryo. Tall, dark skin –that must have been sun bathed constantly to be that dark and beautiful- and long black hair that complimented his fiery blue eyes.

He was the one person you never want to get into a fight with... ever! He pulled off his helmet and tossed his hair back as the bell rang for homeroom. He locked his bike up and strolled into the school.

A hall monitor came up to him. She had most likely been assigned the day before; the day he hadn't been there.

Everyone was already in their classrooms. She came up to him with a pad of paper in hand.

"You're late!" She deemed and he glared at her.

"Hey fresh-meat!" He teased cynically. "You must be the new kid."

She looked shocked and blushed. "You've seen me before." She commented, flattered by his dark eyes that shined on her from under his black sunglasses.

"No, there's just one like you every year. You think you own the place because you sucked up to the teachers and got some special privilege."

She seemed about to snap at him.

"Aw, don't worry, happens all the time. You'll get used to it." He told her nonchalantly and walked off to whatever homeroom he had just then.

"You forgot your late slip!" She yelled after him.

"Hold onto it for me!" He shouted back and kept walking.

She fumed for a while, then went back to her post.

Strolling down the hall he mumbled things to himself about which homeroom teachers he had left to get fired. Most of them had abandoned their posts once he had entered the room. He was damn-near impossible to control when he was in the mood for trouble. After making his way across the school he finally came to homeroom, which also happened to be first period.

_Better make a good impression. Wouldn't want to lose another homeroom witch before I have the chance to thoroughly get on her nerves and make her insane... if she isn't already insane from the prospect of having me._

He laughed to himself as he slid open the door and walked in. It wasn't the chick he had envisioned in his head. It was old Fart-head Brenek, a very old English teacher from Britain. One of the few teachers that could put up with him.

"Ah! Mr. Santana Ryo! You've decided to grace us with your presence?"

"Yeah, I thought the school year started one day too early and I _really_ wanted that day." He made a fist to show his enthusiasm.

"Out of uniform, I see." He smirked, laughing at his own joke. Ryo was actually wearing the uniform that everyone else was, except his blazer wasn't zipped and his white button down was buttoned down half way with a good view of his chest.

"Sorry Old Weather, I forgot today was _my_ day to come in naked, but you will still be accommodating us for tomorrow, won't you? We'd all like to see what you hide under _your_ clothes." Ryo remained by the door.

"You may take your seat, Mr. Santana." Mr. Brenek pointed to a seat right up in the front. He had arranged it in alphabetical order so that Ryo would be up front.

Ryo walked over next to it and sighed. When he turned around he saw another student-teacher standing next to Mr. Brenek that hadn't been in his sights before. The stunning man caused a small inaudible gasp to escape from Ryo. He glared a moment longer. The class took it as Ryo's new challenge and mumbled things like, 'His new prey.' 'There goes _another_ teacher.' 'I hope not, this one's cute.' 'I wonder how long before the new guy cracks.'

Like I said, he had established his stamina the year before. Ryo glanced around the room.

"A problem, Mr. Santana? I'd like to start the class if you don't mind?" Of course he was being sarcastic, but Ryo nodded.

"Yeah, Old Weather, you forgot about my sight problem." He found a student sitting in the back right hand corner of the room near the windows, which lined that side of the room, and he started to walk back to the kid, taking great strides. "I need to sit in the back, remember? I'm, what'd you call it last year, far-sighted!" He knocked his fingers on the desk and gestured to the chair at the front of the room.

The kid looked at him stunned. He obviously wasn't going to move. The other kids started talking about how Ryo was going to fillet him.

"Look's like he doesn't want to move, Mr. Santana. Take your seat, now."

Ryo laughed and grabbed the kid's shirt. The kid got up easily and ran to the front of the room after feeling Ryo's strength against his throat.

"Oh, I don't think he minded moving." Ryo replied and sat down putting his feet on the desk and glaring at the student teacher. "Make your little adjustments to the seating calendar thing and lets get class on with. I got stuff to do, Old Weather."

"Mr. Santana." Brenek sighed walking to the back of the room and leaning on Ryo's new desk.

"Please, call me Satan." He smirked intimately. "All the other teachers do."

There were some giggles.

"Mr. Santana, if you had sat in the seat like I had planned for you, _then_ I would have had to change the seating _chart_." He corrected.

"Good, then we got this down to a schedule thing. Now go teach." Ryo swished his hand at the teacher and entwined his fingers behind his head comfortably.

"One," He shoved Ryo's feet off the table and Ryo snapped angrily out of his daze, "feet off the desk. Two, this isn't recess, don't test me. Three, it's 'we _have_ this down to a schedule', not '_got_'. Four," he paused.

"What's the matter? Can't count any higher?" Ryo asked innocently.

The class erupted into laughter but silenced themselves quickly.

"Are you even going to _try_ this year?" Brenek sighed, exasperated. "Should I even bother, or should I fail you now?"

Ryo leaned closer smiling. "Mr. Brenek," his face seemed mock charm, as if he couldn't believe his ears, "I've never known _you_ to give up! Now come sir, you didn't _fail_ me last year. I squeaked by with a D, remember?" He glanced at the student teacher again and it was all he could do to hold back a shudder of hatred from racing through his whole body. "Who knows? If you don't give up on me, I might actually make a C this year." He smiled a very intimidating smile.

Mr. Brenek shrugged his shoulders and returned to the front of the room where Ryo also noticed another student was standing. Another guy, with auburn hair, about the same height as Ryo and light blue eyes.

He seemed a little shocked by the display.

"May I help you?" He asked, sounding as old as ever.

"Mr. Brenek?" He asked. His voice sounded European, maybe British.

"Yes." He answered, peaking up slightly as he recognized his native accent.

"I'm your new transfer student." He held out a paper to Mr. Brenek.

"Are all transfer students supposed to be late, or do I just watch too many movies?" Ryo questioned aloud and again the class burst into laughter. The new kid blushed slightly.

"That's quite enough Mr. Santana." The teacher looked at his seating chart. "Well, according to the chart you _should_ be sitting where Mr. Santana has so firmly placed his butt. As it stands though, he's not moving and I don't think you want to battle him for the seat...?"

The kid looked to be considering it.

"Trust me!" A blue haired sophomore in the front row chuckled and threw back his hair, glaring at Ryo intensely for a second. "You don't want to take him on." The kid pointed to his cheek, where a big purple bruise happened to be. "I got the scars to prove it." He smiled.

"Sorry about that, Rowen!" Ryo shouted from the complete opposite side of the room.

"Forgiven!" He replied easily without turning around.

"Alright! Alright!" Mr. Brenek shouted, trying to get order back on the class that was now laughing hysterically.

"That was some fight yesterday!" Another kid laughed.

"Order in the court!" Mr. Brenek yelled and they became silent again. "Anyway, so pick whomever you think is prettiest..." He looked at the paper. "Mr. Anderson, Sye, and take a seat next to them." (A/N: I didn't research what Sye's last name is. If you happen to know, I'd love it if you'd tell me. A/N: I got this line somewhat from a movie. I'll give a brownie to anyone who knows which one.)

The room was filled with girls and most of them were interested in Sye, but ignoring him.

There was one open seat in the room and it just happened to be in the back, next to Ryo, who was the most attractive person –male or female- in that room. Sye slugged his bag over his shoulder and walked between the desk to sit next to Ryo.

The whole room started talking; wondering if Ryo would allow it. Ryo had always left that seat open no matter what class they were in. He always left that one open for whatever person he happened to be engaging with that week, or anyone he wanted to sit there.

Sye became nervous as he approached.

Ryo's eyes weren't even on him at all. His eyes were closed as Mr. Brenek wrote things on the board. The student teacher was watching Ryo, with his powerful black eyes. Sye sat next to Ryo and breathed a sigh of relief as Ryo still hadn't made any complaint.

"The god is smiling upon you." A brown haired kid leaned over onto Sye's desk.

"What do you mean?" Sye whispered back. "What god?"

The kid pointed to Ryo. "Don't think that he has accepted you yet." The kid sneered. "He may let you sit there now, but you better hold your keep or you won't be sitting in this room long; you'll be laying in a morgue."

The kid leaned away.

"Why should it matter?"

"Mr. Anderson?" The teacher snapped, chalk in his hand, a book leaned away from his face. "Did you have something to say?"

"No, Sir." Sye whispered. Sye tried to keep his gaze on the teacher, but he kept looking at Ryo, who once again had his feet on the desk, his eyes closed. His chair was tilted back on its heels, his chest rising and falling gracefully as he breathed.

Ryo's eyes immediately shot open glaring right at Sye and he nearly jumped out of his chair. Ryo had known he was being watched and he had finally done something about it. Sye respectfully looked away and tried once again to concentrated on the lesson. Things were jumping through his mind. He glanced over all the students.

_Not bad. They actually seem fairly nice. I could make friends very easily if I play my cards right._

His only doubts were that Ryo might have something to say about whatever decision he makes, then he snapped out of it.

_I'm not going to let this guy rule my life because he thinks he rules over the school. He won't play me like he has them._

Looking back at Ryo, who's eyes were closed again, he realized something. If Ryo called him, he would come, like an obedient dog. Ryo was the kind of person it seemed, that it was just an honor to be in their presence and he _wanted_ to be in Ryo's.

There weren't that many boys in this class. Out of the twenty people there, only six were male. The last one was a charming, gallant man in the middle row of students.

Sye hadn't seen him, when he was picking out his seat. This fellow was a tall blonde. His hair was like the rays of the sun, perfectly gold and shining. His locks covered one of his velvet eyes, but the other dazzled out from beneath his frowning brow.

He was the second most beautiful person Sye had ever seen. Ryo was the first. This other boy was wonderfully shaped, like Ryo and thin like him too. They both had strong muscles, but they weren't bulky like jocks, they were lean, without a bit of fat on them, obviously.

Ryo was only slightly more beautiful because of his dark skin, but that just depended on tastes of who you liked better. This other boy's skin was pale and tender. Sye imagined it was quite soft. He remained silent, sitting the wrong way in his chair with his back against the cabinets behind himself. He seemed quite defiant, like Ryo and just as perceptive. He closed his eyes and opened them quickly on Sye, who caught himself staring again.

The boy then seemed to be looking elsewhere. Sye saw Ryo and him share a glance then look their separate ways again.

Ryo was looking out the window at first, then at the student-teacher again, who was casually looking at him. The tall red-head's eyes were disarming and Ryo almost lost his balance, but quickly regained it again and tried to find sleep.

The bell rang finally and they all rose to leave. Next class was gym. Sye went slowly, so he could watch Ryo exit. Before Ryo left he was caught by his arm by the student-teacher.

Ryo looked furious. The teacher whispered something in his ear and Ryo snapped something back at him that Sye couldn't hear, then Ryo kept walking out of the room.

Since there were so many girls in the class, there couldn't properly be any division between the two sexes. The only game the boys could play by themselves was three on three basketball.

The teacher decided to let the girls stretch and do volleyball while the guys played a few games of basketball.

The teacher appointed the blonde boy and Ryo as captains.

After the teacher was out of hearing distance, Ryo and the blonde boy –Sye realized was named Seiji- both flipped the teacher the bird.

"Rowen." Ryo picked and all three of them gave a high five to each other and grabbed a ball.

"Don't you have to pick from us for the other team?" Sye wondered.

"You are the other team." Seiji answered. "Ryo, Rowen, and I are on one team and you three are the other."

Sye looked at the two short brown haired boys behind him. They were lithe and frail looking.

"We should at least have one decent guy on our team." Sye pleaded. Ryo walked up to him with the ball.

"Have you ever played basketball before?" He asked.

"Yes." Sye replied.

"Good. You _are_ the one decent player on your team." He smirked.

Sye scowled. He didn't want to play anymore.

"Play or be run over." Rowen shrugged. "Your choice."

Ryo walked over to the rebound line and stood there bouncing the ball like a professional, doing a figure-eight, and blind shots while he waited.

"Well?" He snapped grumpily.

"Well what?" Sye asked.

"You going to check me or should I just start taking free points?"

Sye snapped out of his trance and went to stand about two yards in front of Ryo, his back to the hoop. Ryo gave him the ball as Sye glanced at his two team members who hadn't moved.

"At least stand someplace to defend." The two glanced at each other and scowled back at Sye. "You stand in front of Seiji!" He snapped and the short kid Ryo had bumped out of a seat obliged with some difficulty. "You stand near him!" The other kid walked over to Rowen.

Sye let out his breath in defeat, this was useless. He bounced the ball back to Ryo and waited for him to move, but Ryo merely aimed and shot for the basket.

Two points.

_I don't see this going very much better._

The teacher came back over after Ryo had successfully made ten shots, not missing one. Seiji had made three of his own, also flawless, and Rowen had made several as well. Totaling up to well over thirty points to zero.

Sye had attempted defense as best as he could trying to block three people who were quite quick on their feet. He only succeeded in making it more difficult for them.

"How's the game going?" The teacher asked, after watching them for about ten minutes.

"We're losing." Ryo lied, shrugging. He wore a loose black tanktop unlike the white T-shirt he was supposed to be wearing. He did wear the black shorts like the others though, they were a few sizes too big and they hung low, but he held them up with a belt so only the lip of his boxers was showing.

"Why don't you _girls_ go play volleyball?" He jutted his thumb to the game that was currently going on.

Rowen curtsied. "Thank you, monsieur!" He giggled, making fun of the teacher's French accent.

The boys all went off to play in the volleyball game. Once again, all the strong boys were on one side and the other two were on the other.

Sye didn't want to play though, he stayed behind.

"What's wrong?" The teacher asked.

"Is Ryo supposed to be in charge of _everyone_?" Sye asked without being able to stop the flow of words from his mouth. He instantly regretted them and wondered if Ryo had heard him.

The teacher laughed. "He's always been like that. Always the leader and he has led some pretty amazing people in the past two years. He's made a lot of peoples' true potential reach the surface. No matter how much he may scare you he really is a wonderful and strong person. He puts you against him to challenge your skills. Bend the rules yourself next time and make a basket or steal the ball from him and make a basket."

"He'll kill me for it." Sye snapped, a look of disgust on his face, appalled by the idea.

"He'll respect you for it." The teacher corrected. "I remember one soccer game last year he had the ball, the game was tied, he was heading right for the goal. The clock was ticking, and he had already taken all the reserve players out –on the other team- of the game by injury. He himself was bruised, but otherwise unharmed and it started to rain. The other team was cowering and waiting for their impending doom. Ryo was about to kick it into the goal. He had no one in front of him, then suddenly another player collided with him, knocking him off his feet and right onto the bone of his hip, against a sharp rock. The guy had stolen the ball from him and could have won the game, but instead he knelt down in the muddy rainy dirt and put his hand on Ryo seeing if he was alright. The time ran out and the game was called on a draw. Ryo had a completely black bruise within minutes, half a foot long and two inches wide. It took him a week to recover completely. He was in a lot of pain as the guy helped him up."

"What happened?" Sye whispered. "He must have been pissed... taken it like a loss."

The teacher shook his head.

"He kissed the guy on the cheek and invited him to be on his own team. He complimented the guy, saying no matter what the score said, he was the only one that had ever beaten Ryo. He was the only one who had the nerve to stand up, no matter the consequences."

"Who was it?" Sye asked, shocked.

The teacher looked over to the volleyball game as Rowen scored a point, taking the assist Ryo had offered and spiking the ball right past a girl on the other side. Another high five and they were laughing in triumph.

"Seiji." The teacher answered and Sye was aghast. "People treat Ryo like a god because he is respected like a ruler of a kingdom and even the teachers cower before him." He paused, in thought. "There once was an ancient Chinese ruler who went into battle against another army with his own. They destroyed all until there was only three left. One man begged for his life and was killed, another ran and was killed, the last picked up the sword of his fallen comrade and struck the ruler's horse knocking the ruler off. The ruler gave the man wealth and appointed him his new general because he had stood up against the fierceness of an entire army alone, and triumphed." (A/N: This is actually from my history book!)

Sye didn't much like the history lesson, but this was interesting to know about Ryo, maybe now _he_ could get into that little inner circle, by defying Ryo.

"Thanks." Sye waved to the teacher and ran over to the volleyball game. He stood with the opposing team against Ryo and waited for his turn. They were losing by a lot of points and Seiji had the serve. He popped it right over the net and straight to Sye, who bumped it back over, to Ryo. Ryo let Rowen take the ball, set it and Ryo spiked it over the net. The girls cleared out of the way, afraid of it, so Sye skidded to his knees and popped the ball back up again, a girl behind him smashed it over and it went over and out of Rowen's grasp hitting the floor in-bounds.

Ryo saw where the ball landed a bit disbelievingly, then he looked back to Sye through the net. The class paused to see what he would do. He turned away and went after the ball. Returning, he decided to serve out of turn and Sye once again went for the heavy serve, only he caught the ball instead.

"Our serve." He replied to the frightened faces. Sye was being bold he knew, but he felt like being rebellious today. He tossed the ball a few feet in the air and hit it as far as he could over the net.

It was right under Ryo. He expected it to come back hard, but Ryo caught the ball and dropped it. Sye frowned, then heard the bell. Ryo had known the bell was coming.

_He's so perfect._ Sye thought snidely and went to change, not caring if he was late.

"Sorry, forgot about that!" The teacher yelled. "After you change, come back to me and I'll give you a late pass."

In the boys locker room everything was open space. You had a locker and you changed either in one of the three stalls or in open territory. Sye didn't much like changing in front of others, so he and the other two pathetic kids headed for the stalls.

As Sye was walking over there, he saw Ryo enter speaking with Seiji.

"You really don't like the game?" Ryo asked, surprised. Seiji shook his head. Ryo was going to press on the subject, but saw Sye and glared at him for a moment as they walked. Sye suddenly felt very intimidated by them both. They were about the same height, maybe Seiji was a bit taller; they were at least six foot each.

Ryo combed his fingers through his pitch black hair. It seemed to be like ink on his head, like the feathers of a raven and shining like Seiji's long shoulder-length blonde hair did.

They strode up to Sye and Ryo used his shoulder to just shove Sye aside and walk past him. Ryo pulled off his shirt and started to change, uncaring of who watched. Seiji did the same.

"Hey!" Sye yelled grumpily. He had almost lost his balance. Ryo was on him in an instance. He had Sye's shirt in his grasp like he had the other boy that had been sitting at his desk. He shoved Sye sharply against the lockers and Sye felt his vision go black for a moment, then he saw Ryo's face inches from his.

"Hey what?" Ryo growled. "You don't just walk into this school and think you own it! It takes time to earn a place in _this_ society. You may think your rebellion is cool now, but Rowen can tell you what cockiness will get you!" As if on cue, Rowen walked by scratching his head tiredly.

"A lot of pain." Rowen answered. "Do you have to keep bringing that up?" That comment was to himself.

"What do you want me to do?" Sye reached for his head. It hurt and he was sure he felt blood there.

"Do whatever you want." He dropped Sye. "Just do it out of _my_ way!"

_**A/N: I figured it'd be nicer of me and easier on you reviewers if I just put up two chapters together so you have a better understanding of which way this story is going. Please read on. It'd also make me extremely happy if **someone** would review. Please?**_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: The same warnings as everyone. This is a 'fanfic' website, right? Please review me. Thank you kindly. And it's not like you would at chapter two if chapter one didn't intrigue you into it so, read on!

**Chapter 2**

"What do you want me to do?" Sye reached for his head. It hurt and he was sure he felt blood there.

"Do whatever you want." He dropped Sye. "Just do it out of _my_ way!"

Seiji was done changing and waiting for Ryo only a moment.

"See you next class." He sighed and left with only a glance down to Sye's limp form.

The two brunets left out of their changing areas quickly, but Ryo was quicker, he came up in a stride faster than theirs' and they jumped aside and out of his way.

"That's the ticket." The one that had sat next to Sye whispered aloud. "Stay out of their way." They both left as well.

Sye hurt too badly to move. Rowen came up to him and he expected more abuse, but Rowen offered him an arm. Sye unsteadily stood and fell on Rowen's front. Rowen supported him with one arm. His other held his blazer and book bag. Sye rested his head on Rowen's chest for a moment.

"I know it hurts." He stated with a sigh. Sye tried to regain his balance and did. He still stood with Rowen's help.

"Does he really hurt _everyone_ like this?" Sye wondered.

"No, he must like you." Rowen joked.

"Sadist." Sye growled. Rowen frowned.

"No, you've got it totally wrong."

Sye's gaze snapped up to look at him.

"He's a very gentle person." Rowen caressed his cheek gently and Sye gasped. Rowen ignored him. "He's very gentle, he just likes to establish that he is the leader. He likes to be respected. Isn't that what that teacher told you?"

Sye blushed. "I didn't get that part."

"All great leaders demand respect from their followers. When he has total respect, he's quite laid back and calm." He sighed. "We're going to be late for class." He released Sye quite abruptly and walked off. A small crowd was at the door watching them. They knew Rowen was a part of Ryo's inner circle and had obviously respected him enough not to say a word. They didn't even know who was being spoken of, but the respect was still there.

Sye changed quickly and was off. After he collected his late slip, he headed to class and found it almost exactly as it had been before.

Different room, different side of the school, different setup, but Ryo was still in the farthest corner from the door, against the wall with windows, back of the room, feet up, eyes closed, legs up, chair back, and the seat next to him was open once again. Seiji was in front of Ryo and leaning his back against the cabinets that lay just under the windows. Science class, but still there were desks. They wouldn't enter the lab for a few more classes.

The teacher took Sye's late slip and threw it in the garbage without looking at it.

"Sit in an empty seat." The teacher waved his hand in no general direction.

Sye figured it would be kind of big of him to demand that someone move so he might have their seat and it would be challenging Ryo more than his bloody head could take. There was blood there, but not much and not an appreciable amount. If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything about it.

He walked over to the seat, half expecting Ryo to claim them both for himself, but Ryo remained calm and asleep it seemed.

The Science teacher droned on about Chemistry and what it had to do with your life. He made several jokes, but it didn't help. He was trying to get their attention and make them all laugh, but only a few laughed. Sye assumed it was mostly because Ryo and Seiji didn't laugh or smirk. Sye remained quiet, not just because they were bad jokes, and not because of Ryo in any way, but because he was extremely tired and couldn't keep his head up.

He pushed his chair back quietly and laid his head in his arms on his desk.

Sye was abruptly woken up by a foot nudging his side. He looked up to Ryo quickly, who was still at his desk and still relaxing, but now his eyes were open and looking past Sye. Sye turned his head and saw the teacher leaning on his desk. He gasped, nearly falling out of his chair. The class was staring at him.

"Have a nice nap, Mr. Anderson?" He asked and the class giggled.

"Not really, I've got a bit of a cramp." He massaged his neck for a moment. "You really should get better chairs. The extent one must go through to get a comfortable sleep in this class is agonizing." Sye leaned on his hand while he got a few chuckles from the class. His dry sarcasm was just a reflex to being caught off guard, he hadn't done it for attention.

"See me after class for your detention, Mr. Anderson!" This teacher was far snappier than Mr. Brenek. Sye groaned as the guy walked away. He leaned his head down again. "Mr. Santana?" The teacher continued from the front of the room. "You may pick one up as well before you leave."

"Lucky number two-hundred one." Seiji stated teasingly in a sing-song voice and glanced out the window.

"What for?!" Ryo asked angrily. "I got shit to do today!"

"We'll make them both for tomorrow then. You're giving a bad example to your classmates." The teacher made a little note in a book.

"He ain't my class_mate_!" Ryo growled and glared hatefully at Sye.

"He is and be glad I don't give you _two_ for swearing."

Ryo leaned back and spent the rest of the period glaring at Sye.

"Do you have a will?" The girl on the other side of Sye politely asked.

"No." Sye replied.

"You'll be needing one, then." She handed him a blank piece of lined paper and turned her attention back to the front of the class.

_This day can't get any worse._ But it did.

Ryo was secretively talking to Seiji the rest of the day and in every class Sye was sitting next to Ryo because no other person in the class would do it.

The end of the day finally came and Sye was relieved. Unfortunately, his detention was for the next day with Ryo, but today he was free and maybe tomorrow Ryo would be in a better mood and he might be able to suck up to him and not be abused so hurtfully again.

Walking out of the school, Sye saw Ryo at his motorcycle.

He kicked the stand up and Seiji walked over and got on behind him. Seiji wore the helmet and leaned against Ryo, wrapping his arms comfortably around Ryo's waist.

_Are they lovers?_ Sye wondered as he saw Seiji gently caress Ryo's inner thigh, then they drove off leaving a black skid mark on the pavement.

He saw Rowen walk by him and he ran after him. Thinking wisely on it, he decided not to say anything to Rowen or even make his presence known until they were out of sight of the rest of the school.

Rowen glared back at him as they strode side by side together. They were heading the same way anyway. It turned out they lived on the same street too, and Rowen lived only three houses down from Sye!

"So you just had to dig yourself in a little deeper, huh?" Rowen questioned and started to snicker.

"It's not funny. He's going to kill me!" Sye kicked a can and watched it fly up and not land for another three houses.

"Nice kick!" Rowen commented.

"Thanks." Sye murmured carelessly.

"No, I'm serious! Do you play soccer?"

Sye turned to him sharply, shocked. He remembered the story that the gym teacher had told him and he exploded. "Are you nuts?! Ryo plays soccer!"

"Yeah." Rowen nodded. "And if you're really good at it he might forgive you for everything that happened today. Get it?"

"I get it, but I'm afraid I might _really_ get it and end up in the hospital emergency room before he accepts me." Sye thought about something, then seriously looked at Rowen. "How'd you get in with him?"

"Long story." He replied blushing lightly.

"I got plenty of time." They slowed to a halt on the sidewalk. No one was around. Rowen leaned his back against the stone wall and placed his foot against the wall.

"I knew Ryo through his destructive period. It was a few years ago, when he was very depressed and angry. Believe it or not, people used to pick on him too. It was before he decided to dominate his schools. We lived in Africa for a while, our parents had just met and they wanted us to be friends. At first he thought I was against him, but slowly he came to trust me as his only friend. I didn't have any friends either, so we were perfect for each other. Sometimes he would blow up in anger from the torment of other kids, or if we got in a fight or something. He would lash out and usually end up hurting me."

"You stayed his friend?"

"He was in pain and I knew if he didn't do it to me, then he would do it to himself and I would never allow that. I endured it, but it wasn't all like that." Rowen blushed. "He could be very tender and take care of my bruises after he'd given them to me. I finally convinced him to train with me so we would both become strong and so it happened. We did every conceivable sport, every exercise, every daunting task, and it toned us up, then we moved when his dad died. It was a hunting accident. We took a boat over here, his mother died from some virus on the way over and so my family has always offered him a home. The parentals (A/N: When he says parentals, he means his own parents.) promised his parents they would take care of him, but he's been roughing it the whole while. Somewhere along the lines he got much stronger than me and he has been ever since."

Sye was speechless, he just started walking again and Rowen walked next to him. Something snapped in Sye quickly.

"Hey! Wait! He doesn't live with you, does he?!"

"Not really... sometimes." Rowen snapped defensively.

"Oh, god!" Sye fell back against the wall himself. "What the hell? What did I do to deserve this?! I've never done anything to deserve this punishment." He turned to Rowen and grabbed his button down in one fist quickly. "Please, don't tell him I live right there! He'll assassinate me in my sleep!"

Rowen started to laugh hysterically. "You're overcautious." He laughed.

"Better safe than sorry!"

"Look, I won't go out of my way to tell him, but if he asks me, I'm not going to lie."

Sye nodded. "Fair enough."

They kept walking and then parted ways as Rowen walked farther down toward his house. Sye's home was a tall, two story Victorian, with a nice balcony on the side with his room and his mom's.

He lived with his mom alone, but he could tell by the spiffy red convertible in the driveway, that she had company. He walked into the house and dropped his bag down. When he heard some conspicuous sounds coming from the upstairs bedroom, which was his mother's, he grabbed his duffel bag which had a change of clothes, and he turned back to the door and left.

He caught up with Rowen quickly.

"Can I crash at your house for a little while?"

"I thought you were afraid of Ryo?"

"I'm more afraid of going back into that house." He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"My moms, got a guy on her... I mean, over."

"So.... _Oh_!" He shut his mouth quickly and kept walking. "Yeah, sure. My dad's a bit of a slob and my mom's tired of cleaning up after him, so the place is a bit of a mess, but if you don't mind that..."

"Anything." Sye assured stopping him. "You're a saint."

"We'll see if you're still going to call me that after you meet my folks." He sighed.

Sye walked into Rowen's three story house, found the bathroom and changed quickly. When he came back out, he noticed the walls were painted green, and the rest of the house was decorated like it was a forest. Plants everywhere and plenty of ferns on the staircase railings.

"Did I just step into the jungle or what?" Sye whispered.

"You did!" A man laughed from behind Sye. He spun around and saw an older man, with some gray hair, but still looking remarkably like Rowen, with the dark blue hair and gentle eyes.

"Hello!" A woman came up on his other side and startled him again. She wiped her hands on her dirty apron, but Sye wasn't staring at that, he was gawking at her fire-red hair. "You like my hair?" She asked seductively. She was beautiful for the age she must have been, but Sye would have thought her to still be in college, if his instincts didn't tell him this was Rowen's mother. She was really something to look at, but the eyes still resembled Rowen's. "You must be another _friend_ of Rowen's." She took Sye's hand and squeezed it firmly. "It's a _pleasure _to meet you..."

"Sye!" Rowen snapped, glared at his parents, and walked up to Sye. Rowen was a bit taller than his mother, but she didn't back down. He wrapped his arms around Sye's neck and pulled their faces close enough to kiss. "Leave him alone, Ma!"

She took a step back. "You're no fun, Rowen!" She purred.

"The people I invite into this house are off limits, Witch!" He growled, still holding Sye tight. Sye would have objected, but he really didn't want to be touched by the woman, so he endured Rowen being so close their crotches made contact.

"It was nice meeting you, Sye." The mother smirked and left the foyer. Rowen's father nodded a goodbye and left as well. Finally, Sye was released after another minute, while Rowen waited. Sye was baffled, but he tried to smile.

"Uh, Rowen, what was that?" He asked.

"Ma figures it's alright to hit on all my friends, but she leaves them alone if I put claim on them."

"Claim?" Sye repeated timidly.

"It's alright, we don't have to date now or anything, but she doesn't know that. It just basically means I can touch you and she can't."

"Okay." Sye replied looking around the house some more.

"You can come see my room, then I'll change and we'll get out of this nut jungle."

"Where do you want to go?" Sye asked, following Rowen up the blue carpeted stairs. The blue was almost as dark as the ocean.

"We'll head up to the soccer field and see how good you are." Rowen answered and Sye felt an inner twist of pain.

_And hopefully, Ryo won't be there._

Sye stopped by his house and snatched his bike from the garage quickly. They were off to the park which was pretty big. It had the outline for a football field which was used for that and several other games and a baseball diamond was off to the side.

Rowen pulled a soccer ball out of his own duffel bag which he had brought along. He dropped it to the ground and knocked it back and forth between his legs.

Sye looked around worriedly for Ryo.

"Don't chicken out on me now, man! I came all the way out here and Ryo isn't anywhere around; he's with Seiji. Now come on. This is just a friendly game between us. I want to see how good you are, how long you can keep running and still endure long enough to play."

It turned out to be a lot more of a rough competitive game between them. They played on the whole field for fifteen straight minutes without stopping or letting up before a lot of other people decided to join in. Soon it was twelve on twelve and the score was tied between the two teams.

"One more and we call it quits!" Sye shouted for all the players to hear. Sye and Rowen were the leaders and no doubt the best people on the two teams. Rowen smirked.

"Next goal wins!" He shouted to his team and Sye and Rowen went to the face off. Rowen saw Sye completely distracted and a twitch of fear in his face and he knew that Sye saw Ryo somewhere. "No!" Rowen growled leaning in close to him. "Don't give into your fear. He may be there, but I'm _here_!" He pointed sharply at the ground. "Look at me, not him, and concentrate on the game!" Rowen paused. "Don't show off, just win." He whispered and they both smiled.

The ball was dropped and they went at it. They kicked it quite hard at the same time, sending it flying into the air. Sye's teammates were already running to the other teams side to help once the ball landed and Rowen's mates, the same. The ball was still in the air when Sye leaned down on one hand and pushed his foot into the air. The kick he had aimed for the ball made it shoot clear across the field and another new guy on Sye's team named Kento, kicked it in past the goalie and the whole team jumped up with happiness.

Sye flipped back up so he was standing and Rowen glared at him, hands on his hips.

"What ever happened to not showing off?" He raised his brow, trying to fight a smile.

"I forgot?" Sye shrugged smiling and Rowen grabbed him. Sye's whole team grabbed a hold of Sye and they were all hugging him and patting him on the back. Most of these kids were older than Sye and they were all from different schools around the area. Sye was thrilled, then he remembered Ryo and looked over to the goal post. Ryo was spinning the soccer ball on his finger like a basketball. He was leaning against the post of the goal at first, Seiji next to him, then they both started to walk over.

The crowd dispersed, now playing their own games of anything and talking about the close game that had been so fun instead of competitive.

Rowen and Sye stood poised together, staring at Seiji and Ryo as they approached. Ryo tossed the ball to Rowen and he caught it frowning.

"Hey!" Ryo gestured to Rowen. "What's up?"

"A little built up energy is all." Rowen replied coolly. "I saw Sye kick a can nearly an entire block and I thought he might make a pretty fair soccer player. I wanted to see how he did against me."

"And the other players?" Seiji wondered curiously.

"They kind of just joined in." Sye answered nonchalantly.

"Who won?" Seiji asked curiously.

"It was a tie." Sye replied, faster than Rowen could and Rowen glared at him for a moment. "I gotta head home. Bye." Sye turned and left, seeing no point in staying any longer.

"You want me to go with you?" Rowen asked.

"I think I can find my way home." Sye retorted sarcastically, with a bit of a laugh, then waved without looking and grabbed his duffel bag, swinging it over his shoulder.

_Whoa! That was almost uncomfortable._

As Sye turned into his driveway he heard a motorcycle coming up behind him. He dropped his bag on the ground, his body covered in sweat. He steadied the bike with a foot on the ground and looked back as Ryo and Rowen went by, each on their bikes. Ryo glared at Sye as he passed.

"I'm doomed." He sighed as he just dropped his bike against the wood fence and went inside with his bag. When he went inside and still heard those sounds going on, he growled angrily. "Mom!" He screamed and he paused. The sounds stopped and Sye could breathe again, he was still furious though. "Perhaps you could _tell_ me when you're going to fuck someone so I can just _not come home_!" He hollered, rage in his voice and he slammed the door, walking back out.

"Baby!" She yelled out the window. "Where are you going?"

"Out!" He shouted back.

"Where?" She yelled back, trying to sound innocent.

"Like you give a fuck!"

He didn't want to hear her shit, or any apologies. As he walked over the path back to his driveway –still hearing her shit behind himself- he saw Ryo standing there, leaning against the fence that was just behind himself.

Sye ran his fingers through his hair, grabbing a fistful and threatening a rather rash stream of words he wanted to throw at Ryo, but he knew he would regret it, so he bit his lip until it bled.

"What?" He snapped. Now tears were stinging his eyes.

Ryo walked up to him, the perfect definition of calm. He scowled as he came closer, and pulled the bandana out of his hair. He was covered in sweat as well.

Sye looked at the red mass of cloth as Ryo extended it to him. His worries floated away, and he didn't care about anything anymore. He took the cloth, dumbfounded, and realized his lip was indeed bleeding quite a bit. Ryo just turned and walked away without a word.

"Ryo." Sye gasped. Ryo turned back to him from the fence, his brows raised. "Thanks."

Ryo nodded and walked away.

The next day at school, Ryo was again late. As he strolled into the room, he didn't see Mr. Brenek. It was only the student teacher from the day before.

"You're late." He sighed as Ryo scratched his chin carelessly with the back of his hand. It was another way of telling the guy to fuck off.

"No duh!" Ryo replied and went to his seat in the back. That same kid from the day before was sitting in Sye's seat now, and quite fearful of having to sit next to Ryo. "Out." Ryo growled and the kid started to shake, but didn't move. Ryo turned and glared at the teacher in the front, knowing that he had made the student sit there.

With the threat of a detention firmly in hand, the student-teacher watched Ryo carefully.

Sye stumbled into the room a second later, before Ryo could do anything to the kid. He seemed somewhat distant, as if he had had a few drinks before coming to school, but no one seemed to notice. The teacher glared at him and Sye saw the detention.

The teacher was about to say something, but Sye bravely spoke out:

"You know what?" Sye smiled. "I don't give a fuck." The teacher was kind of in awe, then he regained his composure. "Give me a detention or shut the hell up, I'm not in the mood. Oh, by the way, you have another new student." Sye jutted his thumb to a tan, thickly built kid behind himself.

Sye pointed to the vacant seat in the front and the new kid walked in, handed the teacher a paper and sat down comfortably in the front seat.

Walking to the back of the room and his own seat, Sye saw the problem through weary unfocused eyes.

"Now what?" He growled to himself, dropping his school bag on his desk. He scowled looking down at the kid. "_Move_!" He snapped and the kid jumped up from the seat. Ryo and Sye sat down simultaneously and sighed. Ryo put up his feet while the brown haired kid gathered his detention and pulled up a chair next to his friend's desk.

"What gives you the right to order others around? If..." The teacher growled hastily stomping to the back of the room and standing over Sye.

"A pissed off mood!" Sye replied. "That's what gives me the fucking right! You don't like it, tough! Now piss off, you're standing in my light." Sye crossed his legs and looked over to Ryo, who merely continued to stare at him.

The teacher grabbed Sye by the shirt and pulled him out of his seat. Sye did nothing but scowl at him as he was held. He raised his hand to Sye.

"Go ahead. I dare you. You touch me at all and I'll file a Title 9 on your ass. You'll be out of here so fast your head will spin!" (A/N: Title 9 is a sexual harassment charge... here anyway.)

"I could say the same thing for you." The guy whispered leaning closer to Sye's ear. "Your little episode in the locker room."

"I didn't touch anyone." Sye snapped quietly.

"No, but your friend did, and I could easily put my influence upon the principal to sway the board of directors to have him kicked out of school. He won't be admitted anywhere so long as I put it in the newspapers."

Sye's glance shot to Ryo and he was released. The whole class was in a state of shock. The teacher just turned and left the room after that. Sye sat down, suddenly feeling dizzy. He closed is eyes and laid his head in his arms.

"So sorry I'm late!" Mr. Brenek shouted as he came in a moment later. He saw something immediately wrong with the class. "What's wrong?"

The whole class wanted to jump up and start telling him everything, but they knew if Ryo wanted it to be told, he would tell it.

"What happened, Ryo?" Mr. Brenek came to the back of the class and leaned against the windows –resigned to the fact, a long time ago, that Ryo was the ring leader- crossing his ankles.

"You forgot to come in with your birthday suit on today." Ryo complained, looking the man up and down.

"What's really wrong?" He glanced at Sye and went over to his desk. Sye's head was still down as Mr. Brenek shook him awake.

Sye immediately stood up upon contact, scaring Mr. Brenek and startling the rest of the class. He grabbed his bag and walked out the door.

"I need to go to Guidance." He spoke as he walked out. Seiji and Ryo exchanged a glance.

"I'm going to Guidance too!" Rowen stood up, but Mr. Brenek gently pushed him back into his seat.

"No, you're not." He made a phone call, then started class.

A/N: Anyway, so please review. I'd like some feedback on this and if it should continue or not. Thanx.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I was astounded to have been reviewed so quickly with such nice reviews. It gives me that stupid fuzzy warm feeling, you know? Probably not. Never mind. Just go ahead and read.

**Disclaimer:** Anyone's name you recognize is not mine and I don't intend to claim they are. Read on at your own discretion.

A/N: silverwyvern: Just a real quick thing, thanks for your comments hun. I love you to pieces. I only suggested joining as a member of so you could put me on your Author's Alert list. Goes right ot your email, you know? It tells you when I come out with this stuff and you could put my stories under favorites... it just makes everything alot easier to access... a lot less buttons and words to remember. Anyway, thanks.

A/N: Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. I loved reading all of them. And thanks to those of you that informed me of Sye's last name. It will be changed in the future chapters and if I'm not too busy one of these days I'll change the first couple to read the same. Oh, and to you **Soup - CONGRADULATIONS- **Here's your brownie. I know I altered the phrase a bit, but I figured whomever had seen the movie would know what I was talking about. A lot of other people seem to look at me funny when I talk about that movie... as if I had made up the name off the top of my head. I'm not that creative -contrary to popular belief. -smiles- Enjoy.

**Chapter 3**

Sye immediately stood up, scaring Mr. Brenek and startling the rest of the class. He grabbed his bag and walked out the door.

"I need to go to Guidance." He spoke as he walked out. Seiji and Ryo exchanged a glance.

"I'm going to Guidance too!" Rowen stood up, but Mr. Brenek gently pushed him back into his seat.

"No, you're not." He made a phone call, then started class.

They walked into next period and saw Sye already there, playing one on one with the teacher, Mr. Steurer.

"Go ahead and change!" The teacher shouted to them, clearly out of breath.

Sye and he went at it while they all changed and when they came back, Mr. Steurer was completely out of breath. Sye made one more basket, then bent half down and calmed his breathing as opposed to sitting on the ground, gasping for breath, like the teacher.

Rowen went right up to Sye and he stood. They made eye contact for a moment, then Sye firmly wrapped his arms around Rowen, his hands were fists.

"Did you go to guidance?" Rowen whispered.

"Yeah."

"Well?"

"I told them I had problems at home and I didn't want to talk about them; I told them I wanted to vent my anger out and after I broke their punching bag they sent me here."

"So you're worried about Ryo getting in trouble for hurting you?" He asked gently.

"Yeah, but I can handle that."

"Then what?"

"My mom left." He pulled away from Rowen and stared at him hard.

"She left?"

"Gone."

"You call the police?"

"And what? Have them take custody of me because I'm a minor?" He scowled. "She ran out on me the way my dad did and she ain't coming back, only at least she had the decency to leave some money. I can forge her signature and make it on my own for a while."

"You want to live with us?" Ryo came up on Rowen's side as he said this. Sye looked at Ryo calmly and smiled, he was wearing the bandana Ryo had given him the night before. Instead of using it, he had just kept it.

"No." He murmured calmly. "Thanks anyway. I'll be fine."

Rowen nodded.

"We're doing soccer today!" Mr. Steurer shouted for the class to hear, but they all noticed he was still out of breath.

"Getting old, Steurer?" Ryo yelled. The teacher laughed.

"Who are you?" He asked walking up to the new kid that had come in that morning and made Sye late. Kento didn't seem to hear or understand the teacher.

"Kento!" Sye yelled and the kid's glance shot to him. "Say something."

"Hi." Kento nodded to the teacher.

"Welcome to P.E. Okay, lets pick teams." He looked around at all of them. "Let's make this even. Seiji you lead one team, Sye you lead the other. Seiji pick first, now remember people, this isn't a popularity contest!"

Seiji and Sye stood next to each other in front of the class.

"Ryo." Seiji called. Ryo walked over to him. Ryo leaned his arm on Sye's shoulder and whispered into his ear.

"Pick the five best." He murmured, letting his lips brush Sye's ear.

Sye didn't acknowledge, he looked over the group.

"Rowen, Kento." They both walked over to Sye.

"_Girls_." Seiji growled calmly inaudible; ignoring the two weak boys left in the class. "Andrea." A tall brown haired girl trotted over to Seiji's side. Sye looked over the girls.

"Caryn." A short girl with short pink hair came bashfully up to Sye and he groaned; she had a crush on him.

"Hello, Sye!" She smiled, swaying her hips seductively.

"Yeah, yeah!" He waved her away. "Catie, and Christina."

The teacher seemed about to object, but Seiji wasn't complaining at him picking so many at once.

"There's my five." Sye murmured, talking to Ryo.

"Kara, and Janet." Seiji called and sighed. "Done."

The teacher looked baffled. "Wait! You're not playing fair!"

"To who?" Ryo questioned. "There are twenty-one people in the class and we only have ten, that gives them the advantage of one player."

The teacher sighed. "But all the..."

"Oh, Mr. Steurer." Ryo smirked, speaking in the same playful tone he had with Mr. Brenek the first/second day. "Were you about to say that all the talent is on our team?" He was mocking Mr. Steurer. "Shame on you." He shook his finger at Mr. Steurer who laughed uneasily.

"Alright, play, but tomorrow you four are going to be separated fairly."

"Tomorrow's Saturday, genius!" One of the girls snapped and her little group laughed with her.

"Even the teacher is admitting their failure." Rowen chuckled and high-five'd Sye.

They went out onto the school's playing field and their team beat the other team by twenty points before Mr. Steurer intervened again.

"Ryo, Sye, you both go onto the other team!" He ordered and seemed angry, so they did. The players were traded and there was another face off, between Ryo and Seiji. The ball was dropped and Ryo stood still calmly.

"Take it." Ryo whispered tapping the ball over the line with his foot and Seiji laughed, kicking the ball around Ryo, Rowen laughed as well as Seiji and he easily maneuvered to the goal and kicked it in.

"What are you _doing_?" The teacher was half hysterical, half in tears.

"Helping my mates!" Ryo shouted to him in reply. Ryo and Sye merely stood in place as Seiji, Rowen, and Kento went by them scoring points. The rest of Ryo's team put up a fight, but Seiji and Rowen got by them easily.

They made ten points before Mr. Steurer intervened again. He switched it so Seiji was the captain of the lame team with Sye. Ryo was back on the other side.

Sye was doing the kick off with Ryo this time. The ball was dropped and Sye playfully tapped it off to the side two feet. Ryo laughed, took it, and kicked it all the way to the goal with Rowen and Kento helping him out the most. Seiji and Sye did nothing to fight at all.

Gathering the five of them up, Mr. Steurer shook his head disdainfully.

"I don't understand you. Sye, I thought I got you, but you're baffling me more than this lot." He gestured to Ryo, Seiji, and Rowen.

"There's nothing to get."

"Then why won't you work against each other in a game, or at all for that matter?" He raised his brow; he himself sweating from the hot sun.

"Loyalty." Sye answered.

"What?"

"I think you said it yourself yesterday, with the ruler and his subjects."

Mr. Steurer still looked baffled.

"You'll understand one day." Sye assured as he patted Mr. Steurer's arm gently.

"The bell will ring soon, we should change." Ryo announced and they all headed inside.

In the locker room Sye was once again going to go to one of the three stalls, but he saw how uncomfortable Kento seemed and offered it to him.

Quickly, he stripped down to his boxers and walked over to the sink splattering some water on his face and neck.

"Good game." Ryo sighed walking in.

"What was so good about it?" That same annoying brown haired kid, spoke out from inside the stall.

"What was that?!" Ryo snapped banging his fist against the kid's stall, denting the metal.

"Nothing!" The kid called innocently.

Ryo pulled off his shirt and tossed it in his duffel bag. "You going to go out for the soccer team?" Ryo asked, speaking to Sye. When Sye turned around to Ryo, he saw Ryo completely naked. A light blush touched Sye's cheeks as he walked over to his locker.

"I don't know." He replied, fighting a smile.

Ryo walked into the shower area and turned it on. It was an alcove like the one the stalls were in, just as big, tiled orange, and opposite of the stalls.

"Do you have enough time for that?" Sye asked.

"I lied when I said the bell would ring soon. We have ten minutes and I'm boiling."

Seiji walked in after him and turned on another shower head. He sat on the floor aiming it for himself and he opened his legs resting his arms on his knees.

"It's hot out there." Seiji complained, throwing his head back against the wall. Sye forced himself to look at his locker. He grabbed a towel from his bag and dried the sweat from his body, getting dressed quickly. He rolled up the sleeves on his white button up, and left it open, his blazer hung over his arm. He grabbed his bag and books and leaned against the lockers. They were so cold and it was _so_ nice. He almost fell asleep.

"You look tired." Rowen commented, a towel around his waist. He had obviously gone into the showers for a moment as well.

"I was up arguing with the bitch all night," he sighed, "and after she left I couldn't sleep. I'll sleep during de... detention... today or some... something." He sighed and collapsed to the ground.

He heard Rowen and Ryo shouting at first and he felt warm flesh against his.

"Hey! Mr. Steurer!" One of those two annoying boys calling for the teacher.

"No!" Sye groaned loudly. The kid was about to yell for the teacher again, but Kento had him and kept him quiet.

"What happened?" Seiji asked kneeling next to Sye.

"I'm just tired."

"You collapsed!" Rowen snapped angrily.

"I slipped!" Sye shot back, exhausted from the effort. "Look, if anyone finds out they'll want to call home, but _no one's_ there!" He stood with Ryo's help. "I'll be fine."

"You're one brave idiot." Rowen sighed and walked away to his locker.

"What should I do with him?" Kento asked, speaking of the kid thrashing in his arms.

"Let him go." Ryo ordered. Kento did and the kid and his friend ran to tell Mr. Steurer most likely.

"What are you going to do about Mr. Steurer?" Kento wondered.

"It's their word against mine." Ryo replied and Sye seemed vaguely shocked. He blushed when he realized Ryo was still naked and mere inches from himself.

"Thanks." Sye smiled, but he didn't dare touch Ryo yet, maybe after he got closer to Ryo mentally.

Mr. Steurer came dashing into the locker room as Ryo turned back to his locker and continued to get dressed.

"Sye! Are you alright?!" He came dashing in, trailed by a few ladies who stayed near the still open door. They were blushing.

"Hey!" Rowen yelled. "You want us to watch _you_ dress?" The girls all gasped and ran out the door. Kento and Sye were the only ones fully dressed, but the others were getting there.

"What happened?" He went right up to Sye and tried to put his hand on Sye's head.

"Whoa!" Sye jumped over the bench and away form Mr. Steurer. "Dude! Personal bubble!"

"What?"

"You're getting a little too close!" Sye snapped.

"Greg told me you collapsed!" Mr. Steurer explained, gasping and out of breath.

"I'm fine. Nothing happened! I don't know what he's telling you, but nothing happened!"

"Is that true?" Mr. Steurer asked looking around to all of them. "Kento?"

"What? He's fine! Look, he's hopping all over the place!" Kento left.

"Ryo?" Mr. Steurer continued.

"Man!" Sye yelled. "You got some serious trust issues to work out." Sye grabbed his bag and books and walked out, just as the bell rang and Ryo, Seiji, and Rowen were out of there before the teacher could put another word in edge wise.

It was Science again and Sye couldn't keep his head up, though he tried quite hard.

Sye watched Ryo and Seiji as they mumbled things to each other. A pop quiz was placed in front of Sye and he was snapped out of his trance. He looked up and saw the teacher standing there.

"Daydreaming, are we? What this time?" He seemed rather cynical when he spoke.

"Two angels." Sye replied and watched the teacher storm away in distaste. He looked over to Ryo and Seiji and saw them both looking right at him; clearly they had heard him. He tiredly took out a pencil and started his quiz. He knew it all from previous knowledge, or just from watching the discovery channel and he aced it. Ryo and Seiji had done very well also.

The teacher, Mr. Kenniston, had threatened to give every person that got below a seventy a detention. Ryo seemed anxious to get through with the day, but Sye didn't see why; they both had detentions with Mr. Kenniston after school.

Next was History, another pop quiz. His knowledge from the historical channel helped him here; he aced it. Going onto Math, another quiz and another A.

_Simple enough._ He thought as he went through it. The whole thing had been simple because he was always a whiz at math.

After a study hall school was finally over, but Ryo and Sye had to report to the ISS room for their detentions. It was a small room, with one window that was clogged up with an air conditioner that didn't work and the sun was directly exposed to them right then.

"This sucks." Sye rasped, his throat feeling dry already. A minute later they heard a key slide into the lock and it was locked. Ryo and Sye jumped up and looked out the small window on the door.

"Hello boys." The student-teacher with the fiery red hair stood there, keys dangling in hand. Ryo tried to open the door and found it locked tight. "You won't get out of there until I get what I want." He smiled.

"Who _are_ you?" Sye yelled and punched the door.

"Mr...." He started.

"Aries!" Ryo snapped. "Don't start that 'Mr.' bullshit."

"Let us out!" Sye yelled.

"No." Aries smiled evilly.

"You can't do this, Aries!" Ryo shouted and hit the glass with his fist.

"Of course I can. Kenniston is in his classroom, the oaf; wondering where you two are and I have the only key to this room now that I've changed the locks. It doesn't open from the inside. Once you're in there, you're stuck."

"Bastard!" Ryo yelled.

"You'll roast in there all day while the sun is going down right on you and that little room is a hot box. It will get well over ninety degrees in there. All because you refused me, Ryo." Aries smiled.

Ryo scowled and looked away, around the room for something.

When he turned back, he saw Sye, slide against the wall to the floor calmly. He leaned his arms on his knees and rested his head against the wall.

"Ryo, don't get so angry over it." He sighed calming.

"What? How can I not be angry? He'll roast us alive! You're already not feeling good and..."

"Ryo!" Sye warned patiently. "Sit next to me, please." Ryo frowned down on him, but he sat to Sye's right on the wall with the door on it, so Aries couldn't see them.

"What are you planning?" Ryo whispered gently in his ear.

"You mind if I lean on you?" Sye asked.

"No." Ryo replied, still distressed. Sye tenderly leaned down and rested his head in Ryo's lap, his body laid out and more comfortable.

"What are you two doing in there?" No response. "I can hear you talking!" He yelled, but Sye kept Ryo from responding.

"You're so cunning." Ryo murmured, leaning his head back happily. "I never would have thought of that."

"You were only a little heated, that's why. You would have thought of it just as quickly if you hadn't let your temper take you."

Ryo stroked his hair timidly.

There was a scuffle outside the door a few minutes later. Sye stood up with Ryo and they relaxed on the desk tops.

"Ryo!" Seiji yelled through the door and barged in a moment later. He was sweating, his white cotton tanktop sticking to his chest, his nipples hard underneath. "You alright?" He asked, walking closer to Ryo, clearly not liking the heat of the room.

"Yeah." Ryo ran his fingers through his own hair, then he remembered Sye. "Uh, do you need a ride home?" He asked quickly.

"No." Sye answered, he smiled and left the room.

"I was worried about you. When you called on his phone and told me you were imprisoned by that fucked up dimension hopper psycho, I flipped." He moved closer to Ryo his hands on Ryo's waist. "I was so worried." He whispered and covered Ryo's mouth with his. They stayed together for a long moment, then separated.

"Sye saved me. He's the one that thought of it."

"He's becoming a very good friend, isn't he?" Seiji smiled.

"No one will ever be as good as you, Seiji, but I can still surround myself with loyal friends, can't I?"

"Of course." Seiji answered and they kissed again.

"We should go. I'll take you home."

"Aren't you going to stay the night?" He wondered. Ryo smiled.

"As much as I'd love to, believe me, I can't. Rowen..."

"Can I have a few hours then?" Seiji asked, ravaging Ryo's neck. Ryo gasped.

"Why not?"

Later that night, Ryo was driving home on his bike. He quietly came around the corner and drove down his street. As he passed Sye's house, he saw him sitting in his driveway and he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Ryo asked.

"Nothing." Sye murmured and he knew that Sye had been drinking and crying. He drove his bike into the driveway and kicked the stand to keep it up. He got off the bike and went over to Sye, sitting beside him.

"What is it?"

His eyes flashed over Sye's outfit. Black sweaty cotton jaw string pants with bell bottoms and a blue tanktop.

Sye turned to him, tears in his bloodshot eyes. "My mother's dead." He whimpered pathetically and looked away from Ryo, covering his mouth with one hand. "They found her and her boyfriend together robbing some bank and they shot them both when the guy drew a gun. They haven't identified the bodies yet."

"Did they call you?" He asked worriedly.

"No, they keep showing it on the news hoping someone will recognize the persons and identify them." Sye stared up at the sky momentarily, losing his train of thought. "You suppose she's up there? She said that peoples' souls turn into balls of light that later adapt into stars after they die. You think she's up there watching..." He shook his head cutting himself off. "Fucking stars."

"Aren't you going to call it in?"

"No." Sye buried his face in his arms and Ryo could hear faint sobs coming from him.

"Come on." Ryo insisted after a moment, and he rose.

"What?" Sye whispered.

"Come with me." Ryo pulled Sye up forcefully. Sye didn't object. "You're staying with us." He pulled Sye to his motorcycle and got on. He looked over Sye and saw he was a bit intoxicated. He must have really been upset, but who wouldn't be unless they really didn't like their mother? Ryo remembered feeling the same exact way. "You coming." It wasn't a question. Sye paused, rubbing his arm tensely, but before Ryo had to say one word of persuasion he got on behind Ryo and wrapped his arms around Ryo's waist like Seiji had.

Ryo pulled out and slowly drove down the street to Rowen's house.

They knocked and Rowen's mother quickly answered.

"Hello Ryo," she smirked devilishly, "Sye." It was that purring sound again and Ryo scowled at her.

"Rowen!" He yelled and Rowen came around the corner of the stairs and walked half way down the stairs before he saw how stressed Sye looked. He jumped the rest.

"Ma! What the hell? You hitting on my friends again?! I swear I'll move out someday soon, then you'll have to go out and find your own prey."

"Rowen, you're such a tease." She patted him playfully.

"Go finish burning dinner, Ma. I can see the smoke from here!"

"Oh, God!" She shouted and rushed to the kitchen, worriedly.

"Sye." Rowen whispered gently and he leaned his face close to Sye's, their hair meshing together.

"Rowen." Ryo warned, a vice grip on Rowen's arm. "Not down here."

Rowen nodded. He ushered them in. Sye wobbled and nearly fell, but Ryo had him tightly.

"Will he make it up the stairs?" Rowen wondered and watched Ryo heave Sye up into his arms like a mother holding a two year old that didn't want to walk anymore; only Sye was a lot bigger and not complaining at all. Ryo didn't even flinch under his weight and he made it up the stairs with ease.

They rounded the corner of the stairs to the right and traveled down a long hall to the corner of the house that was shaded by light. Rowen had picked out this room for his own so he would never be woken up by the light on a morning he would want to sleep in, like tonight.

Rowen had a huge king sized bed with no box spring, on the floor and covered in black sheets. The room was cool and nice. His room was dark with a small library on the side wall and clothes in a pile on a black arm chair off in the corner.

"Put him on the bed." Rowen whispered, as Ryo gently knelt on the bed himself and laid Sye down like a baby. Sye's eyes captured Ryo's and they did nothing but stare deeply at each other for a long while.

"Thank you." Sye murmured, a tear in his eye. He closed his eyes and let the tears run. Ryo sat up and looked at Rowen.

"Well?" Rowen asked hastily.

"Well, what?" Ryo replied.

"You just brought him over for no reason or are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Sye will tell you in the morning if he wants to." Ryo smiled briefly as they heard Rowen's mother call them for dinner and say that Sye could come down in whatever was _comfortable_ for him to wear.

"Sye." Rowen called, but Ryo rose and silenced him. They both looked down on Sye and saw him fast asleep.

"I'm not hungry." Ryo whispered. "Go down to dinner. I'm sorry for putting you out like this, Rowen..."

Rowen shook his head. "He's troubled and you're making him feel better. You're the best, Ryo. You take care of him while I eat. If you guys are asleep when I come back I'll just sleep in the guest room."

"I suppose that's where we should have put him." Ryo smiled as he thought about it now.

"It's more comfortable here." Rowen replied and went down to eat. "I'm going to go out for a quick bite to eat!" Rowen called to his mother. "Anymore of your poison... I mean _cooking_," he corrected quickly, "and I'll keel over."

Rowen grabbed his car keys and left for a fast food place. He returned later that night, but didn't even bother checking on his friends. He knew Ryo would be taking good care of Sye.

It wasn't the light that awoke Rowen from his sound sleep in the morning; it was Ryo, sneaking through the hall. Rowen jumped up and ran quickly into the hall catching Ryo off guard and scaring him.

"Where are you going?" Rowen asked hastily.

"I promised Seiji I would meet him this morning." Ryo shrugged, almost pleadingly. "I'm sorry, Rowen. Can you keep an eye on Sye?"

Rowen sighed heavily and frowned on Ryo, but nodded, watching him go. He thought about going to sleep by Sye's side, but decided against it.

_He's a big boy._ Rowen reasoned and went back to bed. He was once again awoken when he felt a weight on the end of his bed. He didn't even bother to look up.

"Fuck off, Ma!" He groaned tiredly. "I told you, weekends I get to have as mine!" He adjusted his position and tried to sleep again.

"You shouldn't..." The voice wasn't hers; Rowen jumped up into a sitting position and found himself staring at Sye, "say that to your mother." He finished, smiling vaguely. First staring at the floor, then the wall, then Rowen.

A/N: I'm quite thrilled at the reviews I got. Thank you. Your encouragement has been quite helpful to me. I hope you like this.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This one is a bit shorter than the other chapters, I imagine. Oh well. It just came out like this. Review me and I'll make the next one longer.

Thanks to all my reviewers who told me what they thought and whatnot. It's a bit too late -and I'm a bit too sick feeling- at night to reply, but I will next time. –smiles- Thanks.

Chapter 4

"Sye." Rowen whispered, calming down. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry." He replied.

"It's alright." Rowen pushed the covers back and walked on his hands and knees to the end of the bed. He straddled Sye's pliant form. "What's wrong? What happened last night?"

Sye turned to him, obviously fighting tears again. "I was watching the news and I saw my mom." He smiled briefly.

"Is that bad?"

"She and her boyfriend were robbing a bank." Sye laughed a little. "We're a pretty well-off family, our whole family is financially secure, so there really isn't a reason for her to rob a bank; that's why I'm laughing. Well, anyway, they came out and the cops were there. Her _boyfriend_ pulled out a gun and aimed at the police. They shot him and got my mom too."

A small gasp escaped from Rowen. "Is she...?"

Sye nodded. "No one recognized her though because one of the missed bullets hit their get away car, causing it to explode when it made contact with a gas leak and burn their remains to cinders. They're playing the tape of it, hoping someone will recognize the people."

"You aren't going to call in?"

"No." He looked away and up at the ceiling. "I don't really want to be known as the kid whose mother robbed a bank and got blown up. You and Ryo are the only ones that know."

"You have no other family or friends that could recognize her or him?"

Sye shook his head. "Our family disowned her a long time ago. As for him... he's a reject with no friends."

"What will you do?" Rowen asked gently. He laid his hand on Sye's arm, putting his other hand on Sye's shoulder.

"I don't know." Sye whispered. "I have absolutely know idea, but I _am_ hungry."

Rowen nodded and checked the clock on the wall of the room.

"Is your mother's cooking really poison?" Sye asked sheepishly. Rowen laughed out loud.

"Not poison, but something similar. Let's go down stairs and I'll persuade dad to give up the car for a day."

They rose and went downstairs where pancakes and eggs waited, but it looked more like cardboard and puke.

Sye sat on a stool in the kitchen area, seated at a bar adjacent to the kitchen where Rowen's father prepared a cocktail for himself. A TV sat up in the corner of the room hanging from the ceiling. It was turned onto the news. Sye's glance caught the beginnings of what he had seen yesterday. When Rowen's father placed the Pina Colada down, Sye took it and slugged a big gulp down.

The man merely stared at Sye, mild shock on his face. Sye took another big gulp after watching the death scene through once, then downed the rest and placed the glass down in front of Rowen's father.

"My name's Alan." He extended his hand to Sye, while Rowen spoke with his mother quietly. Sye shook the guy's hand. "Come by any time you want." The man smiled and it made Sye feel good inside. Or maybe that was the rum?

_What a nice guy._ He thought. Rowen's mother came over and wrapped her arms around Sye from behind him as he rested his head in his arms on the counter. She rubbed her hands over Sye's nipples and Rowen growled angrily.

Sye didn't even react, though his nipples hardened, he was hardly thrilled by the action.

"Ma!" Rowen hissed, his voice extremely loud.

"I just wanted a _feel_." She replied releasing Sye and leaning on the back of his stool.

"Ma!"

Sye glanced up at Alan, he didn't seem to mind the action at all.

_They must have a pretty sturdy relationship if he lets her touch other guys like this._ Sye sat up.

"Do we have the car?" He wondered calmly. He wasn't bothered by the woman –she would probably be the only woman to ever touch him like that ever- he just wanted to get out of there. Rowen nodded and took Sye's arm. "A little less rum in that and more ice." Sye told Alan as he parted from the room. Alan looked at the glass and laughed.

Rowen pulled Sye out the door and they drove over to Sye's house so he could change, like Rowen had done before they had descended the stairs.

They ate breakfast at a nameless restaurant in town and went back to the park. After sitting there in silence for a few hours watching others play games, they talked and made fun of others as they rounded the park a few times.

Upon their sixth time around the park Ryo came driving up beside them, with Seiji behind him on Ryo's motorcycle.

"Hey!" Ryo and Seiji yelled simultaneously.

"Hi." Rowen replied. "What's up?"

"Tryouts are today." Ryo smiled looking at Sye. "We're headed to the school now, you guys coming?"

Ryo's sunglasses gleamed with the shine of the sun on them as he stared up to Sye. Seiji calmly rested his foot on the ground to keep the bike steady.

"Sye." Ryo groaned and looked away for a moment, then back at Sye. "You're guaranteed a spot on the team with your talent, but I'd still really like you to come."

"I'll come." Sye nodded and they all smiled.

"We'll meet you over there." Rowen laughed and tugged Sye toward their car.

They raced to the school and parked quickly. It was a race behind the building to the soccer field as well and Ryo and Seiji were of course in the lead. Rowen and Sye were neck and neck. When Rowen looked over to Sye, he saw him smiling. Sye winked at Rowen.

_He's not even running at full speed._ Rowen gasped in shock.

They both skidded to a halt knocking into Ryo and Seiji, and nearly tumbling over, but they all caught their balance.

"What the hell?" Rowen growled holding his head, but when he looked up he saw that student teacher standing in front of them.

"You may think you've won, but it's only just begun." He spoke to Ryo and approached another step. Sye stepped in front of Ryo defensively and Aries laughed.

"You have a little guardian?" He laughed, covering his mouth and throwing his head back.

Sye stepped forward quickly, knelt to the ground and in one smooth motion, drop kicked Aries over onto his back.

Both of them were up again in no time. Aries wasn't laughing anymore.

"You deserved that for locking me in that room." He snarled.

"Your little guard dog needs a new collar." Aries hissed. "I'll be sure to get him one."

"You got a fight to pick, I'll take you right here." Sye growled. Aries glared down at Sye and thought twice about it. He merely turned and walked around them and away.

Ryo's hand descended on Sye's shoulder and he turned around quickly.

"You my protector now?" Ryo laughed and they kept walking to the soccer field. People had just started to arrive and most of the faces were unfamiliar, but that is what this practice was for; new talent.

Rowen took out his soccer ball and handed it to Ryo as the leader jumped onto the benches so everyone could see him. A teacher lurked somewhere off to the side, probably Mr. Steurer, but he didn't come out from the shadows as he watched. Teachers had learned to let Ryo be; things turned out better when they did.

"So, you all want to play soccer?" Ryo yelled bouncing the ball from hand to hand as he looked over the fifty people that stood before him. "There are a lot of you here. I'm assuming because we have always been known for our superb soccer team and many wins, but as you _should_ know, there can only be eleven people on a team. Do the math. Two teams will be selected, one to sit on the bench and be rotated in, if and when we get hurt, the other will start the games. That still leaves about twenty to thirty of you that won't make it; better luck next year. I am rough in my picking. Play to the best of your ability in our trials, but no heroics and by this I mean, no fancy karate style kicks. You might end up kicking someone in the face if you miss, or worse, in the groin." 

There were some mumbled groans.

"If I can't find two teams worth of people I want for the games, then I won't bother picking twenty-two of you. Everyone here pick a partner. I don't care if it's someone you know or someone you don't, just pick them and do it now."

Everyone picked a buddy and waited for Ryo to speak again. Ryo knelt on the bench to be level with Seiji.

"Seiji, you and Sye will each lead the first two teams to start, okay?"

They nodded.

"Rowen, you and I will lead the second two."

Rowen nodded and looked around at their specimens.

"Okay!" Ryo yelled, turning back to the kids. "Go over with your partners onto the field and line up on the center line, facing with your partner next to you." More or less they obeyed this order. "Hustle!" Ryo screamed. "This isn't golf, this is soccer! Look alive!"

They moved faster and completed the order five minutes later.

"Now everyone on my left move that way, away from you all. We'll call you group one and you group two. Everyone got that?" He paused and heard some mumbles. "Now partner up again and each group line up where you are, facing me again." They did this. "And separate!" They did and now there were four groups of about twelve people each. "Good! Each group is a team. You will work together for the rest of today!"

Ryo turned back to his new teammates.

"Seiji, pick whatever team you want and put on the green pinnies jerseys and prep them." Seiji went off to do this, picking the team all the way to the right. "Seiji will be your captain!" Ryo shouted to that team. "You're team one now!" He shouted and Seiji nodded in response. "Sye, go pick your team and piney up!" Ryo smiled and Sye went off to do the same. He picked the team all the way on the right. "Which team do you want, Rowen?"

Rowen looked over the two remaining, both looked pretty pathetic. All in all out of everyone, there were about four girls brave enough to be there and they were separated into the four groups evenly.

"I'll take the middle right." Rowen sighed and Ryo nodded.

"Sye will be your captain team two!" Ryo shouted and the kids nodded watching Sye jog over in his shorts and a tanktop. It was a very hot day and the sun was shining directly on them just then. Ryo put his sunglasses back on and glared at the two remaining teams. "You're team three and four!" Ryo shouted and the ones that were looking at him acknowledged this. "Team three is with Rowen! Team four is with me! We're sitting out the first game while teams one and two play! Come over here!"

They came running off the field.

"Rowen, take your team to the other side of the field!"

Rowen nodded and went, with his team following close behind.

"Sit!" He told his own team. He was about to start asking them questions of experience, but his gaze was caught on Sye as he judged his teammates. They all took to him immediately, listening intensely quiet and respectfully. A lot of them, Ryo realized, were older than he was as well. He gave them instructions and they actually started to laugh and joke with him. Sye was easing the pressure and they were responding well.

_This will be interesting._ Ryo thought. He turned back to his own team, hearing Seiji on the opposite side of the field barking orders and commands. His team stood rigid and grumpily looking at him. They seemed quite fearful of his beauty. _Yes, quite interesting. _

Ryo allowed ten minutes of time for his captains to speak with their teams. After Sye got to know most of his team, he was laughing with them and stretching. They followed his movements exactly, which could be good, but if they couldn't think for themselves this would be a one-sided game and not in Sye's favor.

Seiji was talking strategy with his team the whole time. He made drawings in the ground and spoke with the people that he clearly knew from beforehand.

The game started after that and Sye and Seiji approached the center line to kick off.

Seiji's team was in a very orderly fashion standing in a general stance, with five defenders, a goalie, and six offenders, then himself. All lined up close to their positions.

Sye's teammates moved back and forth from position to position. Whatever suited them obviously. They were all smirking in their red pinnies; Seiji's squad was in green pinnies.

"Do you even have a strategy?" Seiji whispered to Sye as they came closer to each other.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sye licked his lips smirking.

"You ready?" Seiji asked, smirking himself.

"I was born ready!" Sye replied and his platoon laughed from behind him.

"Rowen, get that stupid ball out here!" Seiji yelled, keeping eye contact with Sye. They bent their bodies leaning near each other.

"This will be fun." Sye laughed.

Rowen came walking down the center line to the kick off point.

"The game will only be forty-five minutes long instead of an hour and a half because our teams will take over after you guys are done and that will be the game. We'll be keeping score. We got Steurer to get off his ass and referee and as you might have guessed, no subbing, checking other players, timeouts, and so on." Rowen smirked while he said this, then he leaned in closer. "Ryo says for you to teach them all how _rough_ soccer can be, so they can't check, but you two can."

They nodded. Sye turned to his team quickly.

"No checking the other team or ours!" He hollered. They all nodded and he turned back.

"Good luck and remember, it's only a game." He dropped the ball between them and the game started.

A/N: This is probably a bit shorter than the other, but... just tell me what you think and I'll make the next one much longer. Promise.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks to all of you that reviewed, I enjoy reading them immensely.

Chapter 5

Seiji took possession of the ball and his team dashed onto Sye's side of the field to assist, but as they traveled Kento came out from no where on Sye's team and stole the ball right out from under Seiji. Seiji skidded over the soft dirt and nearly fell over, but regained his balance and looked to see where the ball had gone.

Sye was already halfway across the field toward Seiji's goal, he ran to catch up, but another member of Sye's team was there to assist. Seiji's defense group went after Sye, who had the ball. Sye passed to the one girl on Sye's team and she kicked it right into the goal. The whole team jumped up and down in victory. Seiji growled, but went back to center line.

The girl ran up to Sye and hugged him; they laughed and went back to their own side.

"That was very good!" Sye yelled to them. "Now we go on the offensive!"

There seemed to be some unspoken plan that was devised between the platoon. They adjusted quickly, completely changing positions. Everyone, even Ryo was confused.

The game went on for twenty minutes and eventually Seiji's team got put into gear, they started working together more and made several goals with Seiji's help of course, but Seiji and Sye were getting exhausted, leading all of these attacks.

Thirty minutes through the game and Sye and Seiji had started checking the opposite team's members and shoving them roughly. Several people complained, but they sucked it up once nothing was done about it. Sye and Seiji had gone without stopping once and Sye stopped completely after scoring another goal. They were at the center line again and the ball was sitting in front of Sye for him to do with it what he wanted, but he crouched down and balanced, trying to breathe.

Seiji knelt next to him and they exchanged a few inaudible words before they both rose and went back to the center line.

They lasted another ten minutes before Ryo told the referee to call a time out for them, even though there wasn't supposed to be one.

Ryo walked onto the field and up to Sye who was again resting.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently and knelt next to Sye.

"I'm out of shape." Sye admitted and leaned his head back, exposing his neck and regaining control of his lungs again.

"Are you sure that's all?" Ryo replied.

"I could keep going for another hour without stopping if I really wanted to, but this isn't a game and it doesn't really matter."

Ryo nodded and walked over to Seiji. "What's going on?"

"He's good." Seiji smiled looking at Sye. "He's _very_ good."

"Did he tell you why he can't hold his breath?" Ryo asked gently, his hand on Seiji's back.

"He told me he wasn't feeling very well when you asked him to come here earlier and it's just catching up with him. Why? What did he tell you?"

"He said he _could _keep going, but he's not pushing himself because this isn't a real game that matters. He says he's out of shape, too."

"I'd agree with that!" Seiji laughed. "I think I am a bit too. I was pretty lazy over the summer. It's all a part of soccer season starting. We'll all improve with more practices."

Ryo nodded and walked off the field.

Seiji and Sye met at the center line again. Sye mumbled a few things to Kento and the girl on his team, Aimee, and they went and told a few things to some others and it made its way around the team oddly. Seiji laughed.

"You don't look so good." He chuckled.

"You don't look so good either." Sye mumbled back and they laughed together. They paused. "I don't want to finish this." Sye whispered.

"Why?" Seiji asked calmly.

"We're at a tie right now and I don't frankly feel like seeing who is better. I believe you are the better of the two of us and that is good enough for me, besides our troops shouldn't think more highly of themselves over any others."

Seiji agreed finding a lot of truth in this.

Ryo seemed to already know what they had decided.

Sye gathered his team up and walked over toward Ryo. Seiji gathered his team to him and they walked over to Rowen.

Now it was as if Rowen and Ryo's teams were starting from scratch, neither team had more points than the other. They traveled out onto the field as Sye and Seiji's platoons sat down exchanging pinnies with the other teams.

Ryo met Sye as they walked by each other. He caught Sye's arm and before Sye knew what had happened, he was in a warm kiss with Ryo. Their lips locked a moment, then released. They separated quickly and Ryo kept walking. No one noticed anything; as far as they knew Ryo and Sye had merely shared a few words.

Sye looked back at Ryo as he walked off. _Oh, boy._ He thought. He touched his lips casually as he sat down. _Was I just kissed? I've... never... been kissed... like that before. The horrible thing is... I think I enjoyed it. Good for me, I suppose, but Ryo and Seiji... aren't they supposed to be together?_

No one had actually ever told Sye this, he just assumed it, but maybe he was wrong...

Seiji walked away from his team and across the field. He spoke to Rowen and Ryo briefly and left them so they could start the game again. Seiji walked over to Sye and sat beside him.

"Who do you think will make it onto the team?" Seiji wondered as Ryo took possession of the ball and Rowen raced after him to cut him off. Several of Rowen's teammates fell over as Ryo went strategically around them, he passed the ball to a teammate who made the goal.

"Of my team or yours?"

"Both."

"Kento, Aimee, and that kid with the red hair on your team." Sye listed.

"Really? I didn't think he was that good."

"He has good foot work, his only flaw is he doesn't know all the rules of the game, but he can learn easily, I think. He picked up on my strategy after three plays or so, then it was really only him that ever got in my way. Aimee is very good, I think. She follows orders to the letter, and even improvises if the plan doesn't go right. Kento is a hunk of strength without a direction. He can be taught to use his talent as well. What about you?"

"I wouldn't recommend anyone on my team, but there was a short, black haired freshman on your team that was quite speedy and maneuverable."

"A.J.." Sye nodded. "He doesn't follow orders very well." Sye whispered tiredly.

"Would you disagree with my choice?" Seiji turned to Sye calmly.

"No." Sye leaned back on the bleachers until his back rested against the bench row behind himself. "I wouldn't disagree, but if you think you can persuade him to be a team player then by all means pick him, but he didn't once follow an order I gave him. He tried to be the leader and order others around, but it didn't work out. When your players stole the ball from him while he passed it and so on, that was all because he wouldn't listen to me." He massaged his temple.

"Yes, that was stupid of him, but I think we could knock some sense into him."

Sye nodded. "That brunet girl over there." Sye pointed to the girl on Ryo's team. "She's on fire, quite fast, and agile. I think she would do nicely on the team."

"She's slowing down though. She might not hold up the entire game." Seiji warned.

"Yes, but we could always rotate her out after the start of the game, or put her in near the end when our players are tired and we need someone strong and fast."

Seiji agreed. "You're sharp." He commented.

"No more than you." Sye replied waving the compliment away.

They continued to watch the game in silence. Sye's team cheered Ryo's team on the whole time. Once they started screaming and yelling happily when goals were made, Sye shouted at them to sit and they obeyed angrily.

"Maybe they should be cheerleaders instead of soccer players." Sye whispered and shook his head disappointedly. "All that screaming for one team is putting down the other." Seiji's team sat silently wrapped in the game on the other side of the field discussing their chances.

The game ended with Ryo's team leading by ten points, but Rowen's team made the last goal.

The teams were talking with each other while Ryo and Rowen walked over to Seiji and Sye. They all sat on the bleachers facing each other. Sye had a clipboard in hand now.

"What's that?" Rowen wondered.

"While you guys played we went and found the sign-up list for practice today, so we have the names of everyone here. Seiji and I talked about the ones we thought were pretty good and we put stars next to their names."

Ryo nodded and sat up next to Sye so he could look closely at the papers. He leaned over Sye to look at them. Sye lifted the clipboard so Ryo could hold it and he leaned back again, comfortably. Ryo took it and sighed.

"What's this at the bottom?" Ryo wondered and pointed to some scribble at the bottom.

"It says, brunet." Sye answered. "The chick on your team was pretty good, but we didn't know her name."

"Amanda." Ryo looked down the list and found her name. He put a star next to it. "What about you, Rowen?" Ryo leaned back like Sye. "Is there anyone you thought was good?"

He thought for a moment. "Jeremy. The short thin little kid. He was pretty tactical and had a lot of ideas for game plans. Most of them worked, some of them failed, but I think all of his plans would have worked if more of the kids understood them."

"Yeah." Ryo shook his head. "He was so obvious though and not that good at playing the sport. I think he'd be better for basketball or something."

"I'm just saying we should probably consider him, even if he only sits on the bench and helps us with plans. If he has the ability to help us and we have the space on our teams, why not?" Rowen shrugged.

"Alright." Ryo agreed. "Seiji, anyone?"

"My team was a bunch of misfits. I thought they had some potential when I chose them, but it turned out that was a no. That Astrolle kid on your team though, Rowen. He was cunning and quick to react. He was holding a lot of the talent on your team."

"As it goes, with Astrolle Jon, we have seven new recruits, then us, that makes eleven. We should have at least five more good ones, even if they aren't perfect, they only need to be good at the sport and fast."

"I can name five." Rowen paused looking up into the sunny sky. "Amber, Jason, Tommy, Keith, and Josh. They were all decent players from each of our teams."

Ryo agreed and marked it down on the sheet he held. They consulted with each other for another five minutes, they rested a bit, then Ryo stood and called attention to himself. The crowd of people hushed quickly to hear what he had to say.

"We have a list of people, but I'm sorry to say only twelve of you qualified." There were some disappointed groans and anguished growls. "I'm sure you all had some kind of interest in this sport, but you were either, too slow, too disobedient, too cocky, or just too bad! That's the way this game is. I'm sorry for those of you who haven't made it, but here are the final twelve." He held up the list and looked it over as he spoke loud and clear. "Kazuhiko Kento, Vazquez Aimee, Birch Tinnah, Tears A.J., James Amanda, Burns Jeremy, Astrolle Jon, Schultz Amber, Carey Jason, Reagan Tommy, Richards Keith, and Wildowski Josh!" He spoke each name perfectly.

The girls were huddled together and jumping for joy, but most of the boys were bad sports about it. They stormed off angrily or swore excessively. One senior walked right up to Ryo and tried to punch him.

"Damn fag Sophomore!" He shouted.

Ryo dodged it and dealt him a lethal blow of his own. The boy fell onto his friend, who steadied him. The guy's nose was bleeding. He angrily touched the spot and looked at his hand.

"Your mother was trash and your father was worthless! You're no different than them fag!" His friend tried to hold him back. Ryo leapt at him about to strike him again, but Sye had Ryo under his arms. "You'll rot in Hell for this!" The senior willingly turned his back on Ryo now and walked away. Ryo struggled to get loose from Sye. He thrashed and ended up hitting Sye hard across his face.

Sye released Ryo and stepped back from him. Ryo gasped when he realized how hard he had hit Sye. He had taken his rage for that senior out on his newest friend. This was nothing like Rowen, or even Seiji who he would blow his anger out at and get hit back just the same. This was someone he'd just met and grown to appreciate and he'd decked him.

Sye didn't look at him, he dabbed his fingers into his mouth and produced a large bit of blood on his hand.

Ryo took a step toward Sye and he took a step away, defensively. Rowen came up behind Sye and touched his shoulder lightly. Sye turned to him and Rowen inspected the wound.

Rowen smiled wryly. "It's not _that_ bad."

Sye licked his broken lip, sucking the blood away from it.

"You alright?" Seiji asked calmly. Sye nodded.

"Are we done here?" Rowen wondered looking at Ryo, though Sye did not.

"Yes." He sighed. "Sye, I'm sorry."

He waved the comment away closing his eyes. "S' alright." He slurred through the blood.

"Yeah, but..."

"I'm goin' home." Sye cut him off and left around the bleachers.

Ryo would have gone after him like Rowen did, but Seiji and the new recruits waited. He turned to them scowling.

"This isn't going to be the easiest training in the world for you all. It will be hard, especially since there aren't that many of you. Are there any questions before I go on?" The rest of the kids had already gotten off the field and left in a flurry of anger.

The girl Amber raised her hand. "Will it just be us playing?"

"No, Seiji, Rowen, Sye..." he paused, "and I will be playing as well. Five of you will be on the benches until we get tired, then you will go in. I'm confident it won't be necessary to replace us, but it depends on your strengths and weaknesses, to whether or not you will have to replace each other."

The short, black haired freshman, A.J., raised his hand, a frown on his face. "What do you expect from us and is it possible that we will be leading each other?"

"I expect you to do what I tell you to, to the best of your ability. Let me give you a bit of advice." Ryo smiled deviously. "I am the captain of this team." He gestured to Seiji. "And you're looking at the co-captain. I give the orders, but never do I accept any orders. You will not be controlling the team and if you don't learn to play with your teammates you will be off this team quicker than you can say one, two, three, _punch_! Got it?"

The kid scowled and nodded.

"Good. Any other questions? Okay. Why don't you all go play another game? Six on six and we'll watch you and give you tips."

They nodded and looked at each other.

"For now, I will appoint two temporary captains and you will do as they say." Seiji sighed exasperated. "Amber and Jon."

They both approached Seiji.

"Will you call me Astrolle instead of Jon?" He asked.

Seiji smiled and patiently nodded. "Pick your teams."

They went at it. Amber picked the other three girls, while Astrolle picked three boys, then Amber thought about her choices and picked two more, as did Astrolle. When they were through A.J. was last to be picked and he was on Astrolle's team. He seemed cocky nonetheless.

"You got all the girls on your team." He laughed, talking to Jeremy.

Ryo chuckled. "That's your problem." He spoke to A.J.. "These girls aren't the pushovers you play against in gym." He laughed and handed Amber the ball. "Go at it!"

They ran onto the field and started to play. Seiji and Ryo observed for a while telling them to move occasionally, or to run after the ball, or not to push, etc., but Ryo's mind wasn't on the game.

"I'm so pissed, I hit Sye." He groaned.

"Don't worry about it. You hit Rowen the other day too remember and he wasn't a sore sport about it?"

"Yeah, but Sye is much more fragile than Rowen is. He feels so... his feelings are touchier than ours... much more sensitive." He growled and pulled his bangs aggressively.

Seiji stepped in front of him, his arms crossed, and a frown on his face. "Are you in _love_ with him?" He snapped and sneered.

"No." He whispered and stepped up to Seiji pushing his chest against Seiji's arms. "Not like that. Seiji, I love you."

"I saw you kiss him." Seiji replied, still frowning.

"Yes." Ryo nodded once.

"You can't just go around kissing him if you don't love him!" He calmed slowly. "Ryo, why?"

"Spur of the moment. I plead temporary insanity." He smirked playfully and rested his forehead against Seiji's as his angry façade finally broke and he embraced Ryo.

"You have to tell him it was nothing." Seiji demanded.

"Why?" Ryo didn't seem to like the prospect of having to do that much.

"He's going to think more of it than it actually is if you don't." Seiji paused. "And I won't have sex with you again until you've told him. Not a kiss, not anything." He stepped away from Ryo.

The soccer game was still going on, but even playing on half the field like they were, it was hard. They played with two goalies, one from each team, and seemed to be making up rules to the game as they went along, but they were enjoying themselves and learning their teammates moves. The girls were the best player on the little teams.

Ryo wanted Seiji close to him again.

"When you tell Sye the whole thing of it, then you can come see me later, but if you don't then don't bother coming over. I'll know if you lie too. Don't think I won't call Sye to find out."

Ryo growled and sighed, but he was determined to meet Seiji later that night like they had planned. "I'll see you tonight." He whispered seductively.

Seiji smiled. "I'm going to take a cab home. You finish up practice with them." He walked off shaking his head and Ryo groaned.

He did some one-on-one with the kids when he joined the game a few minutes later and showed them a few techniques. Half an hour later, the kids were on their way and Ryo left on his bike for Rowen's house.

_This isn't going to turn out well._ He predicted and sped over there.

When he walked into the house he heard laughing and headed to the living room. The residents of the entire house were sitting on the couches and chairs around the coffee table, playing Monopoly and by the looks of it, Rowen was winning; which wasn't a surprise, but Rowen's mother, Diane, was close behind him with houses on Boardwalk and Park Place.

They all looked up when Ryo came in. Sye's lip had started to heal, but his beautiful face was a bit purple along the jaw bone where Ryo had hit him. He felt a bit squeamish at the moment when his eyes met Sye's.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked, smiling a little and laughing like they had been. Sye rose and walked up to him. "Outside." Ryo whispered and they walked outside. Sye leaned against the railing to the little porch. What remained of the light in the sky was shining on Sye's beautiful hair and fair skin. "Uh, Sye listen, about what happened before..."

"The punch or the kiss?" He wondered. It sounded funny when Sye said it like that.

"Uh, both." Ryo answered.

"Okay."

"I'm sorry about the punch. It was meant for that other guy, you understand?"

Sye nodded.

"The kiss..." He whispered and looked around. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it was really more of a spur of the moment thing. It just popped into my head and I _had_ to do it. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, or..."

"No, you just confused me a bit. I thought you and Seiji were supposed to be together so I was surprised, but since you meant nothing by it, I'll just disregard it as having meant anything."

"Don't do that." Ryo murmured stepping closer.

"What?" Sye raised his brow.

"It meant _something_." He paused. "It meant that I care for you, just not like I care for Seiji."

Sye laughed and smiled. "I understand and it means a great deal to me, thank you. I very much wanted to get to know you before and be part of your inner circle. With that little kiss and even the punch, I suppose it means I am now." He smiled and Ryo's eyes fell sadly on the cut-open lip.

Ryo caressed his cheek with his thumb gently. "I'm so sorry I hit you. You didn't deserve it."

"It'll heal." Sye replied confidently. "I'll always be there for you though, so if you ever need me just give me a ring; don't hesitate. Anything."

Ryo was very happy to hear this. He bobbed his head several times and turned to leave.

"Going to see Seiji?" Sye questioned a smirk on his face.

"How'd you know?"

"I imagine he probably saw us kiss and made you come here and explain yourself."

"Is it that obvious?" He sighed, the stress lifting from his shoulders somewhat and making him stand a bit straighter.

"You were so tense when you started. I knew you had been forced into it."

Ryo sighed, embarrassed, and scratched his head. "Yeah, well, thanks." He turned to leave and suddenly remembered something. "Oh and Seiji might call you later. Just tell him that I told you, okay?" He waved. "Bye!" He drove off on his bike and Sye walked back inside.

After another hour of playing Monopoly Sye was bored with it and Rowen was aggravated with his mother's cheers of happiness when she took their money, though she refused to take Sye's.

Sye and Rowen went upstairs for sleep. Sye had retrieved his bag from his house before they had returned to Rowen's place, so now he could change into his comfy silk string-tie night pants.

After making their way up the stairs, Rowen and Sye were about to part for their separate rooms –Sye taking the guest room- when Rowen snapped.

"Sye!" He called. Sye turned back to him, his hair flying as he spun. Rowen couldn't resist his urge –a trait he wished he hadn't picked up from Ryo. He grabbed Sye's shoulders with all his strength to keep him still and he covered Sye's mouth with his own. He moved his face away from Sye's, frightened of his own actions and of Sye's response. He saw Sye baffled and began to panic.

A/N: Okay, this has been a bit delayed in coming out, but I was a bit saddened by how few of you reviewed. I guess it was all the soccer that threw you off or something, but this fic isn't based all on soccer, I just happened to be a bit fond of the game and had no idea how it was played. I wanted them to play a sport that I like watching my boyfriend play, but I'm no better at basketball rules and stuff than I am at soccer, so of course... I had to look up the rules for soccer. –water droplet- Don't pick on me for stuff like the face-off. –sighs- Just enjoy the fic. It's not supposed to be perfect with last names and whatnot, I was just curious is all and now I'm too lazy to change Sye's last name or the way I spell it. –shrugs- Oh well.

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I did get some reviews which made me happy, but I didn't get many, so this chapter is small. Call me evil, it's nothing I haven't heard before so... **READ AND REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Chapter 6

_What is this? Kiss Sye Day?_ Sye thought, then began to worry about the look on Rowen's face.

"Uh!" He stuttered as he stared into Rowen's fear-filled eyes. "Rowen..."

"I'm so sorry." Rowen let him go immediately and ran into his room shutting the door quickly and locking it. He leaned against the door putting all his weighton it. "Oh, my god." He gasped.

"Rowen." Sye whispered from the other side of Rowen's door.

"No, Sye, just go away. Leave me alone." He begged. He heard Sye slowly retreat to the guest room and he sighed with relief. He fell awestruck onto his bed and nearly pulled out his hair trying to figure out what he would do next. What had provoked him to do that? that was a rather stupid question to ask himself though. He knew what had provoked him. That perfect skin, those gorgeous eyes, that tender smile... He felt himself begin to become aroused and he shoved those thoughts away.

Before he could return to worrying however...

"Rowen." Sye whispered gently and Rowen leapt up from his spot. Sye stood in his window calmly looking down on him. Rowen just then remembered the balcony that sat outside his window. It ran the length of the second story, on the back of the house and Rowen's open window was big enough that Sye just slid in easily.

"Sye..." Rowen stuttered for an answer. "I am so sorry. I didn't, I mean.... Forgive me. I don't want to hurt you at all. I just couldn't resist myself. I felt overpowered. That's no excuse. I'm sorry!" He covered his face.

Sye smiled and walked up to Rowen. "Rowen, it's alright." He whispered. "I didn't mind it at all."

Rowen was aghast. He couldn't think of a reply. "Come again?" He mumbled.

"I enjoyed it." Sye whispered. "No matter how reckless and clumsy it was. I..." He realized where he was and he blushed. "I guess this would be called breaking and entering." He sighed and turned back to the window.

"No!" Rowen ran up from behind him and wrapped his arms timidly around Sye's body. "Stay here with me. Sleep with me tonight." He rasped boldly, his voice hitching in his throat as he tried to speak. "Please?"

"Yes." Sye answered and they both felt more at ease. "I'm going to change first though."

"Alright." Rowen didn't move or release Sye.

Sye placed his hand over Rowen's. "I'll come back." He promised.

Rowen laughed realizing he still hadn't let Sye go and he pulled away.

Sye went to the door and unlocked it. He left the room leaving the door open and silently slipping into the guest room again.

It crossed Rowen's mind that he would love to watch Sye change, but he settled for merely sleeping in the same bed with him.

When Sye returned, Rowen was already lying in his bed, with a T-shirt and shorts on. He stared at the ceiling, daydreaming about something, then he noticed Sye and sat up.

Sye made his way to the bed in only his silk pants and he gracefully slid onto the bed. He pulled a pillow over to himself and rested his head calmly on it, while staring at Rowen.

Rowen leaned down onto his elbow, his eyes fixed on Sye's strong face, then his neck and chest. His glance fell over Sye's whole body then back to his face again. Sye was smiling.

"You're very good at soccer." Sye commented, a playful smile on his lips. "How long have you been playing?" He had noticed Rowen examining him and his choice of bed clothing, but he wasn't about to be uncomfortable in this heat just to keep Rowen from seeing his chest. It wasn't anything special. Rowen had one too, why should it matter? So he diverted Rowen's uneasiness at being caught by striking up a conversation.

"Twelve years or so." He answered, resting his head in his hand. "Do you play any other sports than soccer?" He asked as he slipped into a more comfortable terrain-of-topic.

"Hockey when I was younger, basketball in junior high, and now soccer." Sye shrugged. "Not much."

"You're so modest." Rowen told him, shaking his own head.

"I'm not modest, I just have always gotten compliments on my skills... I guess it just doesn't mean as much to me anymore."

"Do you enjoy getting compliments?"

"I suppose." He admitted with a slight blush.

"Then I will continue to give them." Rowen returned and reached for Sye quickly, but he stopped before he came within a foot of Sye's face and drew his hand back. Sye captured the hand and pulled it toward his face. He kept his eyes on Rowen, who was paralyzed it seemed. Sye kissed Rowen's fingers tenderly.

Rowen watched hypnotized as Sye kissed his hand again, then released it. Sye smiled wryly and turned over so he faced the wall. He gasped when he felt Rowen against him. Their bodies pushed up against each other. Rowen wrapped one arm around Sye and held him gently.

"Please." Rowen whispered in his ear. "Let's just sleep like this."

Sye smiled, though Rowen didn't see it.

"Sure."

They fell asleep together comfortably and didn't wake until the late hours of the next morning. It was noon before they went downstairs together.

Sye sat on that same bar stool again, while Rowen conversed with his father, trying to get the car for the day again. His father refused him this time, claiming he had errands to run and work he had to do.

Back to their trusty bikes it was.

They rode down the street, but Sye stopped at the driveway of his house, staring at it impatiently.

Rowen stopped next to him and tried to see what he was looking at.

A cat came up to Sye and rubbed its length against Sye's calve. Rowen watched the cat as it licked Sye's bare ankle and walked away.

"Let's go somewhere." Sye turned to Rowen.

"Where?" He asked.

"Anywhere. Just for a ride. Burn off some energy, then we'll rest the remainder of the day."

This sparked an interest in Rowen. He innocently looked up into Sye's eyes and saw he had meant exactly what Rowen was thinking.

_Again, together in bed. This time perhaps we'll both be shirtless. _He thought absently._ He's so hot. _Rowen started thinking dirty thoughts and stopped himself immediately.

A/N: Okay, yeah this is really short compared to my other chapters, but I'm being mean because that's just the way I am. No, actually, I was considering changing the middle and if I'm going to, then I have to stop here and consider it... besides, I got like NO reviews for the last chapter so... so there it is.

**REVIEW AND I WILL POST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Well, uh, yeah, I haven't updated in like, a month and I know that seems a bit frustrating, but I'm was paying more attention to my Lord of the Ring's fic because people reviewed me so much quicker on that story so I put the chapters up much quicker. I also said last time that I was thinking of changing the middle of this story because the way I originally had it, it got a bit supernatural and I didn't want everyone to think it came out of nowhere, then to stop reading and not understand why I did it, so…

**This is _REALLY_ important:**

**If you want this story to continue past this chapter, speak now and review, or forever hold your piece because I'll just delete the story if no one wants to review.**

**-**not angry- -not a threat-

This is not a threat. I'm just saying it because I think you'll all hate my story after this chapter, but if the majority of reviews actually _likes_ the way I take it, then I'll continue.

**Lizz:**Uh, thanks for your review. You kind of reminded me I had a story that I forgot about and made me decide to continue. I hope you review again instead of remaining silent.

**Dedication: **This chapter is dedicated to** LIZZ **for making me remember this story.

Chapter 7

"You hungry?" Rowen wondered.

"Not really."

"You haven't eaten for more than twelve hours; you must be hungry. I'm famished!" He grunted and cleared his throat. "Let's go out for something to eat."

Sye shrugged his shoulders and they took off, racing each other; several times, nearly hitting oncoming traffic.

Rowen directed Sye to a place in town he had frequented once or twice, but he knew they had good pancakes, so there they went.

They walked in a decided a booth was too far away and the bar stools were closer to the kitchen, equaling quicker service of food. They had barely a second to adjust themselves onto the cushioned bar stools, when a woman came over to them carrying menus which she placed in front of them with forks, knives, and spoons wrapped together with a napkin.

The waitress was probably in her mid-thirties and a little too plump around the middle, but very kind looking and with a loving voice.

"What'd you like to drink for starters gentlemen?" She asked with a soft voice that caused them to strain their ears to hear her, but she only smiled and spoke up a bit.

"Oh, uh, I think I'll have a large milk with my meal, but a regular coffee to start." Rowen stammered as his lips quirked into a smile in exchange for her gentle demeanor.

Sye smiled at his friend's tender treatment to the nice waitress, then he turned to the lady with an even more radiant smile. "I'll have the same please, only a small glass of orange juice to go with my coffee. Please." He added, speaking as kindly as humanly possible.

She returned their smiles and nodded as she went to get their drink. Not two minutes later they had what they'd ordered for drinks.

"Do you need more time to decided on what you'd like?" She wondered with her continued good-hearted nature.

"Yes, please." Rowen responded, briefly glancing up at her before he looked back down at the mouth-watering picture of a huge pancake platter with meat and egg galore.

She left them, once again to attend to some other customers that had just walked in a moment before.

Sye leaned over to Rowen as he watched her go. "I like this waitress. Let's give her a good tip." He whispered into the other boy's ear. A shiver passed down Rowen's whole body and he shivered pleasantly at the close contact.

"Absolutely." He replied; his voice slightly more rugged than he'd intended it to be.

Sye smiled secretly at the effects he'd had on Rowen. What a lovely day this was turning out to be.

Sitting in the café, Sye and Rowen attracted quite a bit of attention. Not that they meant to at all, but they _were_ rather strapping and handsome, the both of them.

They ignored all this, of course. Neither really wanted to pay any attention to their surrounding audience of admirers of all genders; they just wanted to have a nice little breakfast together and enjoy each others company, before they went home and _really_ enjoyed each others company.

The waitress came back after another few minutes and turned on the TV in the far upper corner of the room which displayed the worldly news all day long. After adjusting the sound so that it wasn't _too_ loud but still loud enough for everyone to hear, she walked back over to Rowen and Sye.

"Have you decided?" She asked politely.

"Yes." Rowen answered, then looked at Sye to make sure he had finished as well. Sye nodded a 'go ahead' and Rowen proceeded to spout off the list of things he wanted for breakfast added onto his platter of pancakes, sausage, toast, eggs, and a muffin. Once he was through, he gestured for Sye to begin.

Sye was trying not to break out into fits of laughter at the list of things Rowen had wanted. Their poor waitress has tried to remember it all –as she had done many times before with hundreds of other people- but found she couldn't halfway through his list and had had to snatch up her notepad and pen quickly to jot it all down. Sye waited for her to finish the last of what Rowen had wanted before he announced his order as well:

"English muffin and scrambled eggs, please." He told her. She nodded appreciatively to him –quite happy that his meal would be much simpler to fulfil. After writing that down as well, she left to tell the cooks. Sye slyly looked at his companion. "Damn, Rowen." He murmured and Rowen looked at him innocently.

"What?"

"Order enough?" Sye wondered casually, his smirk still in place.

Rowen blushed deeply, his face going crimson for a while. "I'm a growing boy." He replied and Sye broke out into a gentle fit of laughter.

"My mom used to tell me that too." Sye commented, then saddened at the thought of his mother. Rowen noticed and seemed about ready to hold Sye incase he wanted to cry or something, but Sye quickly recovered and the shadowed passed from his face. He started to joke again. "Where do you plan on putting all that? You ass?"

Rowen pretended to look offended. "My ass is not big!" He defended weakly and started to blush again.

Sye just laughed before he soothingly rubbed Rowen's lower back –for a moment quite serious. "No, you don't." He affirmed.

Rowen looked into Sye's eyes and was startled by the honesty and… love… he saw there. Sye leaned their foreheads together for a moment and kissed the other boy's cheek before leaning back and preparing to change the topic with some current events from the TV.

Casually, a tall redhead stood from his seat in the corner of the room and walked nonchalantly up to Sye, who didn't care to take notice at all because of how enraptured he was with Rowen's presence beside him. He sat in the seat next to Sye.

Sye wasn't even paying attention; he was in a heated talk with Rowen over their families and heritage.

The man just leaned over and kissed Sye's cheek.

Sye spun around, offended, and glared at the redhead. The redhead was leaning close to him and Sye pushed the guy away.

"What are you doing?!" He growled.

"I saw you talking with your little friend and you seemed bored." The redhead smiled broadly. "You're beautiful." He stated bluntly.

"The only thing I'm bored with is your shallow flattery." Sye snapped and pushed the man more roughly away. Rowen frowned, staring at the guy. "And he's not my _little friend_. He's my _boyfriend_." Rowen felt a flush of pride and love for his _boyfriend_. As Sye turned back to Rowen, the other boy blushed lightly.

Rowen caressed Sye's hair, curling it behind his ear with a nostalgic look upon his face. "Boyfriend?" He whispered tenderly and Sye smiled.

"Of course." Sye replied and leaned closer, about to kiss Rowen, when the redhead pulled him back and out of his own seat, into his lap. "What the hell!" Sye yelled attracting the attention of the few people that sat around them in this little rundown place.

The man tried to kiss Sye again, pressing his cheek against Sye's –to his utter disgust and repulsion.

Rowen stood up furiously, knocking his stool over. "Let him go!" He yelled, enraged.

"No." The redhead hissed, keeping his voice low, and tightening his hold of Sye. Sye struggled to get loose, but couldn't; the man was abnormally strong and far too calm for his liking.

"You're asking for trouble." Rowen snipped curtly.

"He's mine." The man declared, smiling wickedly.

Rowen swung at the man's face and he jumped up, still with Sye in his arms. He was so tall, he lifted Sye off the floor by an inch and Sye was still upright.

"Let me go!" Sye yelled and kicked at the man hatefully. He couldn't move his arms because of the way the guy had him, but he managed to land some hard blows on the man's legs, though the brute didn't flinch a bit.

"Keep doing it." The man laughed gently in Sye's ear. Sye scowled.

"Sadist! Masochistic bastard!" He spat venomously. "Let _go_!"

"Now, that's not nice!" The guy laughed as he backed out the door. People were gathering as they went out into the streets yelling and Rowen attacked the guy again, but missed once again.

_He's so quick._ Rowen thought idly.

The guy pulled out a knife and held it to Sye's neck. That caused Sye's movements to cease completely mid-kick. The redhead laughed and licked Sye's cheek; deriving some kind of pleasure seeing Sye so scared. Sye clenched his teeth in disgust as he allowed the gesture.

Rowen felt like his hands were tied. He couldn't do anything to help his boyfriend and now there was a knife to Sye's throat. He needed help! Where's a cop when you need one?

A blow came to the man's head from behind him as he stepped off the sidewalk. The hit was so hard and strong that the redhead dropped Sye and grabbed his head in pain. Rowen caught Sye as he tumbled into his arms; both grateful that he was free again.

"Sye." Rowen gasped and helped him while steady himself. They glared back at the redhead and saw him facing Ryo and Seiji.

"Sye? You alright?" Ryo yelled over to him.

"Yeah!" Sye replied rubbing his cheek where the man had licked him. "Nice shot, Ryo! Thanks!"

"No problem!" Ryo shouted.

"This guy bothering you two?" Seiji questioned with pre-conviction already.

"He's a perverted bastard!" Rowen answered. "Show him what for!"

Seiji's glance caught on Sye and Rowen quickly, before he proceeded to fight this brute. They were kissing briefly and holding each other tight in their safe arms; forgetting for a moment, the scene around them. He remembered that feeling. It was so blissful like that when he kissed Ryo and it made him want to hit this asshole all the harder for touching Sye in any way.

Sye and Rowen parted quickly as they remembered what was going on.

The redhead started to laugh before Ryo even moved. He started cackling, then tilting his head back and laughing even harder and louder. Everyone there was staring at him in fear and scorn.

"My prince was right! You are protective of your lovers!" He laughed continuously and everyone stared at him like he was a loon, which he seemed to be. Within the blink of an eye the redhead was behind Ryo. No one had time to react. He had Ryo in his grasp within another second and he had created a slit in the world of time like the shape of a black diamond. It was a void with swirling marble in the center. He leapt into the void and disappeared.

"What the fuck?! Ryo!" Seiji screamed and went closer to the void, diving in without a second thought. Rowen and Sye ran over to the thing and paused, looking very frightened, but they jumped in after their friends and screamed profanity all the way down.

A/N: A bit of a cliffy. Sorry. So, please review if you like the story, then if not… well, I hope you read something else of mine and review. Toodles.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: So, you want the story to continue. That's wonderful. I'm happy you don't hate the idea of me adding this weird little adventure to their story. I'm sorry about the whole, 'not updating for forever' thing. I'll try to be better about this.

**I love all you reviewers oodles and oodles!!!!!!! Thanks so much for giving a shit about this fic.**

Chapter 8

When Seiji awoke he was lying on the ground over very soft grass. He groaned and started to get up. A sting of pain shot through his head.

"You okay?" A familiar voice asked from beside him. Seiji shook his head, but the pain doubled so he grabbed his head and decided to stay still. "Seiji, it'll be fine. We'll find Ryo and get out of this joint quick."

"Ryo!" Seiji yelled, his eyes shot open-he remembered why he'd jumped through that _thing-_ but he regretted that as well. The sun was bright through the few trees that he had seen when he had opened his eyes.

"Sye and me are right next to you. It's okay; you just hit you head pretty hard." Rowen whispered.

"Is it bleeding?"

"Yeah." He felt Rowen's gentle hand on his back.

"Where are we?" Sye asked tiredly from somewhere to Seiji's left, but he couldn't tell how far away. He felt Rowen move from beside him to where Sye was. He could hear the twist of dirt beneath Rowen's shoes and he heard him kneel, but he refused to open his eyes to see him do this. It hurt him too badly.

"Dude, Seiji!" Sye gasped. "Is he alright?" Sye asked Rowen, more quietly now. Rowen whispered something inaudible, then went back over to him. Seiji groaned, thinking that Rowen had lied about how serious his injury was.

Rowen started to say something, but Sye silenced him, demanding for quiet.

"What do you hear?" Rowen asked softly.

"Someone's coming." Sye replied, then there was the sounds of bushes around them rustled and the sound of metal clacking against metal and shouts.

Seiji was confused, but he felt Rowen still next to him.

"What's going on?" Rowen asked, stressed.

"You are trespassing!" A man yelled.

"Hey look!" Another shouted. "It's General Thunder and Advisor Lord Sephiroth!" There were some murmurs and someone walking over to Sye.

"Lord Sephiroth, what happened to you?"

"Was it this man?" Another man came close to Rowen making a lot of ruckus.

"What the Hell's going on!?" Seiji shouted, though it hurt his ears.

"General! Are you alive, sir?" Another asked.

"I don't get this at all." Rowen was worried. "I think that you two resemble some people they know though."

"Stop talking!" A man yelled.

_They sound like soldiers. But where on Earth could we be that there would be soldiers in a jungle?_ Seiji wondered.

"Let's bring them to the Prince. He will heal the General and Lord Sephiroth." They grabbed a tight hold of Rowen and yanked him up and away from Seiji. Seiji also felt himself lifted from the ground and in someone's arms. There was a lot of walking through forest, then the sound of metal on stone. They walked up some steps and across a long corridor. Now there was an echo on marble against walls that were a distance to either side of them.

"Oh, gods!" That was Ryo's voice, but it sounded different, frightened. Seiji had never heard Ryo frightened before; not like this. "What happened to them? Where did you find him?"

"In the forest, your Majesty." One of the soldiers answered. "He was wounded when we found him."

"Put him over here on the table!" Ryo ordered and Seiji was placed on a stone table that was quite cold.

"Ryo." He whispered.

Someone put their hands on his temples and he felt something wonderful and peaceful enter him. It made the pain go away with one breath. He opened his eyes and grabbed the person's wrists.

He saw Ryo when he opened his eyes, only Ryo was dressed in the weirdest outfit, with gold plates in his hair, and he was _very _shocked that Seiji had grabbed him.

"Ryo." Seiji whispered. "What happened? Where's that monster thing? Where are we?" He paused, then remembered his friends. "Rowen! Sye!" He sat up quickly and looked around the huge room of white stone until he found Sye still in another guard's arms and Rowen standing near him, his hands bound and a guard holding him painfullystill. "What the hell's going on?" He scowled.

Ryo frowned. "What are you doing?" He pulled his hands hurriedly away from Seiji with a glance to him as if to be careful. Seiji swung his legs off the table as Ryo backed away. He slipped off the table and after Ryo kept backing away from him, he just walked over to Rowen.

"You alright?" He asked kindly. Rowen groaned and nodded.

"Release him." Ryo ordered and the guard in the armor let Rowen go, his bondage off. Rowen fell against Seiji rubbing his wrists, then he righted himself and looked at Sye, who was unconscious again.

"Okay, I am so confused, it's not funny." He snapped. "Now, that looks like Ryo, but he's dressed weird and not acting normal, and what's with the greeting? Where are we?!" He yelled.

"Don't be so insolent!" A guard yelled and Rowen's attention snapped to him.

"You know what? I'm just a little confused right now and we don't have time for games!" He screamed and the whole room echoed it back.

"Silence!" Ryo yelled. "We are all slightly bewildered at the moment. Let us just take this carefully and considerately. Yes?"

"Why's he talking like that?" Rowen asked, out of breath, turning to Seiji and ignoring this Ryo.

"I don't know." Seiji replied. "Let's humor them though." He looked around and smiled. "I'm Seiji, this is Rowen, that's Sye. We were fighting this big guy with red hair when he grabbed our friend –who looks just like you-," Seiji gestured to Ryo, "created this diamond like portal thing and disappeared with him inside it. We came jumping in after him, then woke up where the guards found us." He explained and most of them looked baffled. This Ryo went along with it.

"All right. My name is Prince Ryo Fay Soma, and these are my guards. This is my palace. You look remarkably like my general, Seiji, but he has been missing for a few days now and I have been frantic looking for him. My guards were out on a patrol, then they came back with you three." He turned to look at Sye. "This boy looks exactly like my advisor, Sephiroth, but I have never seen you before." Ryo gestured politely with his hand to Rowen.

"This is really screwed up." Rowen groaned and looked over to Sye. "Um, Prince? Could you do what you did for Seiji, to Sye, uh, please?" He tried to remember his manners vainly.

The prince thought about it for a second.

"Yes, place him on the table." He ordered the guard. Rowen intercepted the guard and took Sye gently from him.

"I have you." He whispered. "Sye, wake up." Sye's eyes opened slightly.

"Rowen." He whispered, but seemed in pain. Seiji noticed the blood behind his ear on his skull. It matted his hair down in that place. Rowen lowered Sye onto the table and gently laid his head down. The Prince went over to him and touched one hand to each of his temples. A light started to glow from his hands and Seiji saw all the guards bowing their heads obediently.

Sye gasped, his eyes shot open, and he sat up quickly looking at Ryo, frightened.

"Sye! It's okay!" Rowen called to him and they embraced when Sye saw him and half laughed and smiled, but still seemed afraid, then he became more calm, and got off the table.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"We've got a look-alike problem." Rowen answered. "That looks like Ryo, but it's actually some prince or something. We must be in like another dimension, like in those sci-fi flicks."

Sye furrowed his brow. "That's not Ryo?"

"Well, one of his names is Ryo, but there isn't any other connection." Rowen answered.

"Okay." Sye seemed nervous. "Well, uh, we have to find _our_ Ryo then, don't we?"

"And my general Seiji!" Ryo added stepping closer to them timidly. "You have come from another world, I believe. I also believe that you are here to help us, so I will help you if you aid me in our search."

"When was the last time you saw… General… Seiji." Sye's glance shot to his friend and he shrugged.

"Two days ago, walking into the palace after a hunt." A guard answered.

"You sure that was the last time?" He asked the prince.

Prince Ryo was slow to reply. "Actually, I saw him after that." He mumbled. "Outside my chambers." He blushed lightly for a moment, but then it was gone. "He was speaking with a red-haired man. They were talking heatedly, then they left together." The prince looked over Sye, Rowen, and Seiji. Sye and Rowen looked at Seiji, who blushed. They all were thinking the same thing.

"Can I ask you something?" Seiji wondered, a small blush on his cheeks as well. Ryo went pale for a moment, then he nodded. Seiji stepped closer and leaned close to Ryo's ear so no one else would see or hear what he said. Ryo blushed deeply, turning red as he nodded and Seiji stepped back. "Ah! Thank you." He walked back over to his friends. "We have a lot more in common than we thought." He smirked.

"Oh!" Rowen and Sye replied together, nodding understandingly.

Suddenly, a tall auburn haired man walked in. He also had plates in his hair and looked just like Sye. The guards bowed to him as he walked by.

"My prince." He bowed to one knee in front of Ryo. "I heard the general has returned." He didn't wear a shirt, only pants with a cloth belt and jewelry around his neck and arms. He wore odd Indian shoes, and bracelets and rings.

"No, Sephiroth. The people the guards found are not from our world." He caressed Sye's hair briefly. "Over there." Sephiroth stood and looked at Sye, who was already gaping at his other self. They both gawked at one another shocked and the guards mumbled things to each other, also in awe.

Sye and Sephiroth circled around each other making judgements, then they finally faced one another again.

Rowen was smirking and blushing. Seiji leaned close to him wondering why.

"If you were right about there being more than one similarity between our counterparts, then Sephiroth also has a secret friend like I have Sye."

Seiji smirked as well and watched the twins face each other.

"Do you have a scar over the bone of your right hip?" Sephiroth asked seriously.

Sye scowled oddly. "Yes." He answered and pulled down his pant lip and boxer just enough to see a pink line across the bone of his hip. "You?"

Sephiroth also pulled down his pant and belt so they could see the same mark on the same leg in the same place. "How'd you get yours?"

"Sliding across home plate. I gouged it on a rock. You?"

"I was a bit too careless when I practiced sword fighting with my comrades."

"It took two months to heal." They said together and the room was filled with gasps and mumbles; not only from them, but also from servants that had been watching or overheard.

"It seems that we lead very similar lives though we are in different worlds." Sephiroth reasoned. Sye nodded. Sephiroth looked at Rowen next. "Rowen." He gasped.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, but I was a bit distracted with Christmas and all the other stories I have to update. I have like… fifteen, including the ones at fictionpress. So, anyway, I'm sorry. I hope you like it and I hope you review!!!!!!!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry this is short, but if I get a few more reviews quick, then I'll put up another –probably longer- chapter before the New Year.

If not, then HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

**Thanks to you wonderful reviewers:**

**Zorra: **Thanks hun. Hope you like this and keep reviewing me with your input!

**Evilchild666:** I love your name! It's so awesome! Glad you like the new twist to the story. Yeah, I had to give them different names or **I** would have been more confused than you. –chuckle-

**Nadia: **Glad you like the pairings. They're my favorite too. Obviously. –giggles-

**FirecatRekka: **You are SO brilliant! I kind of gave a big cheer when I read your review. Yes, Aries has a double, but shhh! I'll get to that!

* * *

**Dedicated to: Jerry Orbach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Jerry Orbach died yesterday, December 28, 2004 at the age of 69. He died of cancer after being diagnosed only a few weeks before Christmas. He was a wonderful actor: playing in Dirty Dancing, the voice for the candelabra in _Beauty and the Beast_, and playing in Law and Order for nearly twelve years!**

_**Goodbye Jerry!!!!!!!! We'll miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

* * *

Chapter 9

"Guards leave us!" Ryo yelled. "Take the servants with you!" The guards left quickly and the servants hurriedly left with them. Ryo stepped closer to his company.

Rowen went up to Sye.

"Rowen is _my_ boyfriend." Sye corrected quietly. Ryo looked at Sephiroth.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" He asked gently. Sephiroth look at the prince worriedly.

"I, uh, have been meeting with a secret partner as well." He gulped.

"Why did you keep this from me?" Ryo wondered.

"He isn't part of the royal house, my Prince." Sephiroth looked down at the floor.

"Don't be ashamed!" Sye snapped grumpily. Sephiroth looked up to him.

"I don't know what the circumstances are, but I would never be ashamed of my love for Rowen and neither should you. I don't think you should be scolding him either." Sye lowered his voice, now scolding the prince, who was shocked.

"W… what?" He asked innocently.

"You and Seiji." Sye reminded. "I thought princes were supposed to marry royalty?"

"They _are_ only supposed to marry royalty." Sephiroth nodded, then looked back to Prince Ryo. Sephiroth took a minute to think before he spoke. The prince wasn't about to speak now that his secret was out and he didn't even know what the general Seiji, would think of everyone knowing. "My Prince." Sephiroth bowed down to one knee again, and he looked up into Ryo's face. "Perhaps the laws should be changed. You are the prince after all, and soon to be king. You have the right to do so. People may frown upon it, but you are a strong ruler. It should make no difference who you fall in love with." Sephiroth consoled. The prince smiled briefly, then put his hand on Sephiroth's cheek.

"_All_ the rules of who-can-love-who should be adjusted. You are right about this. When I become king, I will see to it right away." He assured.

Sephiroth rose and looked back to Sye. "Did your love work out?" He wondered, more quietly. Sye smiled.

"What do you think?" He looked up to Rowen.

Seiji walked up to them and they parted.

"There is still the issue of our friend Ryo, and your friend Seiji. That red haired man you spoke of, did he happen to be very tall, with curly hair?" The prince nodded. "We're looking at the same thief of heart then." Seiji growled.

"But that guy in the Gathering, wasn't Aries." Sye frowned.

"Aries?" Ryo questioned. "Seiji said that name before. He was grumbling to himself about something and I heard that name. When I asked him about it, he denied it and told me to forget about it, then later when he was arguing with the redhead, he said the name again, very hatefully."

Seiji nodded. "It's got to be Aries. In our world, he's a student-teacher, but Ryo and I have run into him before and he called himself a dimension hopper, a sort of time traveler." He paused. "Do you understand any of that?"

"Yes, to a certain extent. Aries was an advisor of mine a long time ago.He was on a team of astrologers. He predicted horrible events by studying the stars. We had several of those catastrophes actually occur before Seiji got suspicious and investigated Aries. He discovered Aries was a fraud and exposed him even though Aries offered Seiji a throne of power, my love denied it." The prince paused. "He was truly wonderful. Anyway, Aries was thrown out of the order by my father and he stayed away until I was thirteen –Seiji is three years older than I am- then he came back, but he was different. He was in the same form of that curly haired tall man that Seiji had been talking with. He flattered his way close to my father then tried to kidnap me one day. Seiji saved me. Before he was thrown out though he claimed that he had the power to jump through worlds and conquer everything." He blushed and smiled.

"So you're saying this guy can change shape? Morph into a completely different being?" Sye asked.

"No." Ryo shook his head. "He can only change certain aspects of himself and only for short periods of time, perhaps a few days. We found a truth speaker and got him to speak with Aries. So we found out that much, but it is unclear to us which is really his true form."

"So… you grew up and made Seiji a general in your army?" Seiji wondered calmly.

"Yes." The prince nodded once. "It feels odd speaking to you about Seiji, when you are Seiji." He hid his face and laughed lightly.

"Sephiroth." Rowen called and he turned to Rowen. "Was that the name given to you by your parents?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Why?"

"The rest of us have a double with the same name, I was just wondering why you two look exactly the same, but have different names."

"We don't." Sye replied. "My legal name is Sephiroth." Sye blushed. "I hated it. I stopped using it a long time ago and got it legally changed to Sye when I turned fifteen." He frowned. "It was the birthday gift my mother gave me last year." He glanced at Rowen and wiped his eyes before any tears could fall.

"What happened to your mother?" Sephiroth prompted.

"She was killed." Sye answered and Seiji turned to him quickly.

"What?" He snapped.

"Yeah, she robbed a bank with her boyfriend and the cops found them and shot them. It's all over the news." Sye looked at Seiji and saw he was hurt.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"Don't be." Sye saw Ryo and Sephiroth looking at him oddly, as if he'd just started speaking in a complex language. He ignored their looks. "She was a bitch and an idiot to rob a bank when she was as wealthy as she was." He shook his head. "Is your mother still living?" He wondered looking at Sephiroth.

"Somewhere." He paused. "I am not sure. She surrendered me to his Majesty when I was younger."

Sye nodded understandably. "My dad left me when I was younger."

"Sephiroth!" A familiar voice shouted and came running into the room. Rowen was shocked now. He saw himself and Sye gasped too.

"You just don't get over seeing doubles of everyone." Seiji grunted, getting over with his shock quickly. Rowen walked away from Sye and up to his double. This other Rowen was staring at Sye aghast.

Rowen stuck out his hand to the new Rowen and smiled. "It's nice to meet me." He laughed and the new guy looked around to everyone else, a bit afraid.

A/N: So, some more stuff was explained. Is anyone confused? Do you have any questions or would you like to comment on anything? Please review!!!!!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry for not updating in a while. I was working on a different story. Enjoy!!

Chapter 10

"We should probably call each other different names since each double has the same." Sye announced.

Heads nodded.

"Alright, I'm Sye, that's Sephiroth," he gestured to his double, "you're Prince, or Prince Ryo," he gestured to the prince and more heads nodded, "my Rowen is Rowen, and the second one will be…"

"Asriel." Sephiroth smiled. "It's his middle name." He blushed.

"Alright, you'll be Asriel. Our Ryo will be Ryo and Seiji is Seiji, then your general Seiji will be General Seiji, or General."

Everyone except Asriel agreed. "I am confused."The manturned to Sephiroth. "What is going on?"

"We all have doubles from another world." Sephiroth smiled as he explained. "They are good people; they are just from another world."

Asriel nodded. "There are two princes as well?" He wondered.

"Yes." Prince Ryo answered.

"How should we go about saving Ryo?" Sye asked looking up to Seiji. "Do we even know where he could be?"

"I have no idea." Seiji sighed and seemed very tired all of a sudden. He sat on the stone table and leaned his elbows on his knees, resting his head in his hands. Seiji was desperately fighting tears.

Sye took steps toward him, but Prince Ryo touched his shoulder lightly and Sye stopped.

The prince walked calmly over to Seiji and put his hands over Seiji's. When Seiji looked up to him, Ryo entwined his fingers with Seiji's, leaning closer to him. He smiled.

"You really love him, don't you?" Ryo asked. Seiji hardened his face and sat up a little straighter.

"With all my heart." He replied, fiercely honest.

"If you never find him here, do you think you would be able to go on living?" Ryo continued.

"No." Seiji answered plainly.

"Now you know how I feel." Ryo whispered softly and they both smiled. Ryo caressed Seiji cheek and tilted his head. "You look and sound exactly like him. Even if your speech is more slanted, you still speak with the same emphasis and passion as he." He smiled. "Any possibility that you are royalty." They both started to laugh.

"Not a chance." Seiji answered.

"Uh!" A fake cough. "My Prince!" A voice shouted from another corridor. Ryo pulled away from Seiji and looked over to her.

"What is it, Flora?" He yelled back calmly.

A short little brown haired girl came running up to him with a book in hand and side bag off her shoulder.

"My prince, I think I have found a way…" She saw the twins of Rowen and Sye and stopped.

"Continue."The princeordered sternly.

"Uh, yes, uh, I may have discovered a way to find the general." She squeaked.

They all perked up and came closer to her.

"How?" Ryo asked patiently.

"Well, sir, the work that Sir Aries was doing before he left was rather accurate except for the disaster part. All of it was based on this one cave in the Heartland. It was supposed to hold dragons inside with mystical powers, Sir. I believe he may have gone there, but…"

"But what?" Sye asked a little on edge.

"He would have needed your power to get in, my Prince." She spoke so softly that only Ryo could hear her properly.

"My power? Why would he need my power?" Ryo repeated.

"It is the only way to supposedly get into the cave and conger up the dragons to do his bidding. And…" Her face contorted, half afraid, half anxious.

"What?" Ryo asked quickly.

"He would need a sacrifice. A very strong person to sacrifice to the dragons."

They all looked at each other.

"Seiji." They mumbled.

"Excuse me, Sir?" She asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." Ryo told her. "I will need a map to this place and a guide if necessary." He insisted.

"I have the map here." She went through her satchel and produced a folded up piece of old parchment. "It is the only one, I'm afraid. With an X on it and everything. It shows a red line from our palace to the place and labels other things like mountains and such."

"How do we know he hasn't made the dragons rise yet?" Seiji asked spitefully.

"General," the little girl continued, "he can not call the dragons until the full moon. It is the only time they will come."

"How far away is the full moon?!" Rowen yelled, not believing the course things had taken.

"Three days, Sir." She answered.

"That will be all, Flora." Ryo shooed her away and she went with a little curtsey. He was still looking at the map. "It shouldn't take too long to get there if we leave now on horseback."

"I'm a bit confused still." Asriel spoke up. "Does this other Prince Ryo have powers as well?"

"Deep inside, probably." Sephiroth answered. "We are so similar, even down to our scars. I believe that he does have the power, it is just buried in his soul. It is probably the same with us all. Any strength or skill one has that the other doesn't is probably there, just buried inside of ourselves."

They all agreed.

"We must get going though. He might be torturing them, the devil!" Ryo snapped and headed out the door.

"Where are you going?!" A voice shouted to him and Ryo turned back quickly. Sye and Rowen quickly hid behind the stone table when they saw the crown on the old man's head.

"He must be the king." Sye noticed and Rowen nodded.

"I have to leave the palace for a few days." Ryo replied to his father.

"I am days away from _dying_ and you want to leave me?!" The old man hollered.

"You have plenty of servants to care for you, Father! This task must be taken care of." Ryo growled.

"Don't you raise your voice to me! I forbid you from leaving!" He was a shorter man, but not by much; an inch shorter than Ryo perhaps, not much of a noticeable difference. His hair was gray and he didn't have all his teeth and even though he did stand up straight, he still seemed sick. "What could be more important than me?!"

"My love!" He yelled back. "The one I love is far more important than you, Father!"

"Who is she?" He wondered, now a bit more happy, his eyes seeming to come ot life again.

"He." Ryo corrected, and his father's face fell drastically. "And it doesn't matter. I will inherit the crown and he will be by my side. I must go fetch him now though. I will be taking my horses."

"You do not dare leave me!" The old man yelled.

"I am leaving." Ryo warned, his voice dark and angered.

"If you walk out that door right now, you will forfeit the crown!"

There was a long moment of silence and Ryo just turned and left. Everyone was shocked except Seiji.

_Ryo would give up a throne for me._ He thought and smiled. _God I love him so much._

Seiji, Rowen, Asriel, Sye, and Sephiroth all left quickly after Ryo, who still had the map.

The old man was left there alone.

"My son." He whispered. "My only son and no wife." He walked back to his room and collapsed onto his bed. "My son." He cried.

* * *

Ryo opened his eyes and groaned. He was on a floor of hard dirt and wet hay. 

"Ryo." A familiar voice whispered.

Ryo looked up, painfully turning his head, and he saw Seiji.

"My love." He whispered and Seiji seemed shocked, then happy.

"Yes." He smiled. It was almost completely black in the small cell, Ryo realized he was in. Three of his walls were bars and his cage attached to Seiji's by one wall. He crawled on all fours up to Seiji and reached through the bars, grabbing his neck, and pulling him closer. They kissed and Seiji was again shocked, but only tense for a moment. When they parted Seiji was smiling.

"Oh, Seiji, where are we? Where's Sye and Rowen?"

"Who?" Seiji asked and frowned.

"Our friends." Ryo furrowed his brow, as if Seiji should know this. "What happened after that red-haired asshole grabbed me? Are the others okay?"

"What are you talking about, my Prince? Did Aries come after you as well?!" Seiji asked, hatefully.

"Prince?" Ryo snapped. "I'm no prince."

"Yes, you are. You are Prince Ryo Fay Soma, soon to be king."

"No, I'm just plain Ryo Sanada. I don't have parents; they're dead."

"No, the king is still living." Seiji argued. Ryo backed away from him.

"You're not my Seiji." Ryo gasped.

"No, he isn't!" Aries laughed evilly.

"You bastard!" Ryo shouted. "Where the fuck am I?"

"In a different dimension from your own!" He laughed from the front of Ryo's cage. "I would have captured his prince, but it was too hard. He has so much protection."

"You foul beast!" Seiji shouted ,standing up. "Don't you dare speak ill of the prince! Who is this, if he is not the prince?" He pointed to Ryo.

"That is Ryo. He still is your prince, only from a different world where he wasn't born royalty. He's just a normal teenager." Aries laughed. "You, my friend." He pointed to Ryo. "You will help me unleash a horrible terror onto this world and help me rule over everything."

"I will do no such thing!" Ryo retorted.

"You will, whether you like it or not!" He turned to Seiji. "And you will be my sacrifice to the dragons he will unleash." Aries laughed again. "And you will both die, because all that power going through you will kill you and he is the bait!" Aries' cackling laugh filled the dark cave as he disappeared from sight.

A lone candle sat on the opposite wall lighting up almost nothing of the long corridor of rock and dirt.

Seiji sat angrily back down and he made eye contact with Ryo who was crying softly. Both of their attitudes lightened as they looked at each other.

"You are not _my_ Seiji then." He sighed. "I hope _he_ at least survives this."

"You love him, obviously." Seiji whispered.

"And the other me doesn't love you?" Ryo asked turning to him.

"He does… I suppose." Seiji whispered.

"Are you royalty too?"

"No. I'm a general to his army."

"So the rules say you guys can't be together?" Ryo nodded, talking to himself for a moment. "That sucks. Seiji and I hid our love for each other from other people, then we decided that we didn't care. I am the leader of my school -so to speak- and anyone that goes against me gets hurt and hurt bad, so no one dares to say anything about us being together. Why should it be any different for you?" Seiji ogled him. "Make love every night. Kiss when you part. Yell, 'I love you' across the room to each other. This adventure has only made me want to be closer to Seiji than ever. Talk to the other me, and make him understand that you shouldn't be stopped from loving because of some dumb rule."

Seiji laughed. "I wish you were he. You seem so much more open than he is."

"Maybe he's just afraid." Ryo whispered softly now. "I was afraid before, but then I…" His voice became stronger. "Then Seiji knocked some sense into me, and its been sex and love with us ever since. You know what!? I'm positive Seiji is fine. He's probably on his way over here to save me as we speak! God I love that guy."

Seiji smiled. "I wish I could be that sure."

"Hey!" Ryo yelled. "If I know me, then I know him, right? When he finds out where we are, he'll come to save us. What kind of a leader would he be if he didn't? He has an army and he's afraid to come here? No way!"

"His father, the King, will not allow him to leave. He has been forbidden to leave the palace for a time, because his father is dying, and he wants his son to be there when it happens."

"You think that's going to stop him?" Ryo asked.

"He will be denied the throne if he goes against his father's wishes." Seiji insisted.

"My question stands." Ryo told him and just stared right at him. Seiji was speechless.

_Would he give up his throne… for me?!_ He thought about it for a while and remained undecided.

* * *

Sye laughed a he rode on his seventeen-hand-high black stallion. 

"I know this is supposed to be a serious adventure to save our friends, but I can't help but have fun." He smiled when Seiji glared at him gravely. "I haven't been riding in ages. I think this will be my next sport!"

Rowen looked over to Sye, and couldn't help but laugh himself.

"You're an idiot." He told him.

"Yes, _but_ an idiot that is having fun!" He pointed out. Rowen shook his head disdainfully, and still laughing. Everyone seemed fine as they rode on their fine, purebred stallions. All of them full grown large horses that went quite fast up the mountain trail.

"To get to this cave," Prince Ryo started, looking at the map as he rode, "we have to go over this mountain, over a long old rope bridge to another mountain, up that one and through a long deserted trade cavern, then we are half way there."

"Half way?!" Rowen groaned. "How much farther after that?"

"Another day's travel after that." Ryo answered.

"Why haven't you people invented cars and highways?" Rowen complained to himself.

"Cars? High-ways? What are these things you speak of?" Sephiroth asked riding next to Sye.

"Faster ways of getting to places. Highways are long flat plains that cars travel on and you can go seventy miles in one hour." Sye answered.

"That is physically impossible." Sephiroth replied.

"It's true. We don't need horses to travel anymore. Everything is done with machines and we can travel into space."

"Space?" Sephiroth repeated. Sye pointed up to the sky, where the moon could vaguely be seen behind a cloud, even during the dyalight.

"That planet there -well, actually it's a moon, but we call itthe Moon. We have been on the Moon." He smiled as Sephiroth gaped at him.

"Unbelievable." He sighed.

"True." Sye nodded.

"What about illnesses? How do you cure pains in your head?" Sephiroth snapped, excited now.

"Headaches?" Sye asked. "We have pills to get rid of those. We have pills for almost every kind of pain in your body."

"Impressive." Sephiroth nodded. "And what forms of entertainment do you have with all of this technology?"

"Nothing you would like." Sye laughed. "All our new entertainment is music, video games, computers, internet, cards, stuff like that. We watch people get hurt in sports and games, wrestling…" He paused. "Nothing that interesting."

"I have never heard most of those words before, but it sounds fascinating."

"I suppose." Sye shrugged. "We just take what we have for granted, I guess."

"We've been traveling for a few hours now." Asriel noted. "May we stop to eat something?" He wondered.

Ryo sighed. "If we must." He halted his horse when they came to a flatter area of the trail. They all dismounted and opened their saddlebag like things. Everyone carried a satchel and a saddlebag over their horses shoulder blades. The horses were beautiful, but different than horses from their world. These horses had red eyes and cloven hooves, but were otherwise the same. There wasn't a saddle on the horses either, they only used blankets under them as they rode.

Ryo had gotten them all the food they would need for three days. Ryo himself only took a small piece of bread and started nibbling on it. Seiji ate an apple, while he stood next to Ryo. They exchanged no words or glances, they just stood there and watched Sephiroth and Rowen sit together, while Asriel just sat near them listening to their talk about their worlds in contrast.

Sye leaned against a tree away from them all, but on the edge of the path. He crossed his ankles as Ryo came up to him and they started to associate. He stood in front of Sye, a polite distance away.

The horses were all tied to a tree next to Sye, eating the bark off the tree instead of the grass below it.

Things went on like this for a while, until Sye caught a glimpse of something shining from the rays of the sun. It was a reflection of metal on the opposite side of the clearing. Sye saw it was an arrow head and he gasped; it was aimed for Ryo.

"Shit!" He yelled and they all looked at him. The arrow was released. Sye grabbed Ryo and spun him against the tree just in time. The arrow hit Sye through his back and they all gasped as it impaled him.

"Sye!" Rowen yelled as he collapsed against Ryo.

Asriel and Sephiroth pulled swords from their saddlebags and prepared to fight.

Several warriors in armor jumped out of the forest and attacked them. The horses were riled up and when a warrior got close to them, they kicked him across the road sprawling.

Seiji saw a sword gleam from Ryo's saddled bag as well, so he drew it and started to help Asriel and Sephiroth fight. He became quite good at it quickly, considering he had never used a sword before in his entire life.

Ryo sat frightened with Sye on the ground. Sye refused to lie down though, he stayed sitting and gasping. The arrow had impaled him, but missed his lung. He knew that, he could feel both of his lungs still able to expand completely.

When the warriors started to lose they retreated, but no one went after them. Rowen ran over to Sye quickly and fell down beside him.

"Sye!" He gasped.

"Don't touch it!" Sye yelled trying to catch his breath.

"You saved my life." Ryo whispered to him.

"You're no different than our Ryo and I would do the same for him." Sye clenched his teeth in pain.

"Can you not heal him, my Prince?" Asriel asked. It obviously hurt him to see either form of Sye in pain.

"I could if this were only an arrow wound." Ryo replied frowning. He gently touched the head of the arrow. He lifted the bit of blood from his fingers and smelled it. "Definitely poison." He sighed. "Whoever they were, this arrow was meant for me and even though I can not heal myself I suppose they were just trying to be sure it would get the job done." He paused. "I'm sorry, Sye." He whispered.

"What a way to go?" Sye groaned resignedly.

"Can you at least take it out and heal the arrow wound? He'll live longer. Maybe we can find a cure for him." Seiji snapped, he scowled.

"It would just be prolonging his pain." Ryo whispered to Seiji. "I will not do that to him."

Rowen grabbed Ryo by his necklaces and pulled their faces inches apart. He was scowling hatefully.

"I don't give a shit if you're a fucking prince, if you can help Sye at all right now, do it! He's _not_ going to die! I won't let him! As long as he survives long enough to leave this world, then he can still be saved by _our_ doctors!" Rowen released Ryo and he sat back, then moved calmly back to Sye. "You're not going to die." He whispered gently, soothing Sye's hair away from his face as he tried to convince himself of the same thing.

A/N: Please review.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: **Sorry about the delay. I didn't think anyone was still reading this anymore.**

Chapter 11

Seiji knelt beside Sye. "I'll take it out." He whispered and Sye nodded, still gasping. Seiji broke off the tail of the arrow.

Sye cried out, but stayed calm whilstSeiji tenderly wrapped his hand around the neck of the arrow, near Sye's belly, careful not to touch the head of the arrow.

"Hold him tight." Seiji ordered. Rowen wrapped his arms around Sye's neck and they held each others hands. Sye leaned back against him.

"Do it." Sye nodded and held his breath. Seiji pulled hard and straight and the arrow came out drenched in blood. Sye bit his lip until it bled, trying to hold in a scream.

Rowen winced in pain as he saw Seiji tear out the dreaded arrow. He kissedSye all over his face and neck, trying to soothe him.

"It's out." He whispered continuously. "You'll be alright." More soft and tender kisses. "Will you heal him?" Rowen asked, calm again as he looked up into Ryo's eyes, and Ryo came closer to him. He touched Sye's temples with his hands and once again healed Sye. The hole in Sye closed, leaving a tingling sensation behind where the wound had been,and he grimaced.

"Oh, shit that hurt!" He sighed. "Thank you." He gasped, speaking to Ryo.

"No, it is I that should be thanking you. You saved my life; I owe you."

"You repaid me already." Sye replied -his mind barely able to focus on their conversation as the tingling went away and coldness settled around the wound. As the coldness began to slowly spread, Sye realized what it was, but he wasn't about to say anything.

"I only healed the wound. The poison I can not take away from you. My powers do not go that deeply into any being."

"We should get going before any more warriors decide to attack us." Sephiroth encouraged anxiously as he looked down to his other half.

"Yes." Ryo nodded, and they all stood. Sye wobbled. "You should perhaps ride with me." He told him.

"I can ride." Sye insisted.

"_Now_ you can, but you won't be able to for long." Ryo smiled briefly, as if to lift the grim atmosphere. "Please, you would make me feel better if I knew you were with me and I could monitor your health more carefully."

Sye nodded. "Fine."

They all mounted and Asriel towed the extra horse next to his own while he and Sephiroth talked.

Seiji now rode on one side of Ryo,with Rowen on the other.

"You should rest." Ryo insisted after a while of riding in quiet. Sye needed no more encouraging than that and he was fast asleep in front of Ryo. The horse's fluent movements just lulled him into dreams.

When it started to rain, they all pulled out cloaks from their satchels. The cloaks had been madewaterresistant by a wizard and were quite warm considering how thin they felt.

* * *

The adventurers continued until they found a small cave to hide in from the storm. They slept there the night, then continued their journey in the morning.

After another hour of travel, they made it to the rope bridge. It crossed a very large gap about two thousand meters deep, with a raging river at the bottom. They all paused to look at the bridge for a moment as they sized it up to standards.

"This is something straight out of Indiana Jones." Rowen commented.

"It makes you wonder how they make bridges like this, and who would be stupid enough to try." Sye continued, his voice dull and weak.

"We should go across one by one." Seiji deemed. He thought about having Ryoand Sye go across first, but he wanted to make sure the bridge would stand up against that much weight. "I'm first."

No one seemed comfortable with it, but they didn't argue either.

Seijistarted across quickly, not staying on any board too long. Some were missing and some were broken, but he managed to get across quickly and safely, his horse bravely obeying his commands.

"Ryo, you next!" He called across the gaping wound in the ground.

Ryo thought about it for a second, then started across very slow and carefully. The boards creaked dangerously under them.

"Go faster than that. The wood used for this bridge isn't very sturdy. I think it's like fir, but it _should_ be mahogany or something. It will break if you stay on it too long."

Ryo made his horse move faster, but the beast was scared and onlyinclined its speedslightly. They made it across with no more delay and Seiji was relieved.

"Rowen!" Seiji yelled.

"No.Sephiroth before me." Rowen replied. "You first." Rowen told Sye's other half. Niether Rowen, nor Asriel were afraid at all. Asriel agreed with the idea. Sephiroth hesitantly agreed, as he felt quite outnumbered with two pairs of worrying eyes on his back. He went across the bridge with no difficulty; his horseextremely happy to be off the thing.

"Quite the gentleman, Rowen. Now get you ass over here!" Seiji yelled. They heard an echo from the valley below.

Rowen trotted across, then it was only Asriel, but he had the extra horse.

"Leave it!" Ryo yelled to him. "I do not care. Just get across!"

Asriel untied the horse and started across the bridge. Half way across they all heard a loud snap.

"It's breaking! Get over here!" Ryo ordered and Asriel started to gallop.

More snaps.

The whole bridge was going.

Five feet from the edge, all the remaining ropes snapped under the pressure and it fell. Asriel leapt off of his horse, snatched his saddlebag as he went, and grabbed the edge of the cliff.

Sephiroth jumped down from his horse and grabbed hold Asriel. Seiji jumped down and helped pull Asriel shaking form up.

He was gasping and startled... but alive.

"That was close." Sephiroth breathed a sigh of relief as he briefly embraced his lover -glad that he was still there to be hugged.

"You're telling me." Asriel glanced back over the side of the cliff. "How will we get back now?" He looked up to Ryo.

"We will have to take the long way home. It will add another day onto our trip; possibly two, but it will be safer than the other bridge down the path from here."

They agreed.

"Ride with me." Sephiroth insisted and swung his leg over his own horse's back. He pulled Asriel up behind him and they all continued on their journey.

* * *

Going up the next mountain took the better part of the day, but they finished with it, then paused at the top so Ryo could check the map again.

The valley in front of them looked deadly. It was all black rock and dirt. No life, or trees, not even parasites.

"This looks inviting." Sye whispered sarcastically.

"We must cross it to the other valley, then over another mountain and we'll be there. The full moon is tomorrow night. I think we will make it with plenty of time to spare." Ryo nodded and stuffed the map back into his satchel.

Sye floated in and out of consciousness as they traveled through the dead valley.

"Something's watching us." Seiji whispered. They all remained close to each other as they traveled. "Don't start to look around for it. Something _is_ there, though." He paused asa pregnant silence formed. "What lives here?"

"You do not want to know." Sephiroth answered eerily.

"Tell me." Seiji demanded.

"Wolfoz." Sephiroth whispered. (A/N: I totally spiffed the name off of a video game, but I'm not making any money off of this, and they aren't losing any, so it doesn't matter. They're not even the same thing, so it doesn't really make a difference.)

"What's that?"

"They are exactly like wolves, only around three times the size of any wolf. They are slightly smaller than our horses and they can run twice as fast."

"_Great_." Seiji groaned sarcastically. "Finger your weapons and prepare to fight." Seiji warned. They each touched one hand to their swords casually.

Asriel took the reins from Sephiroth and looked around as they continued through the valley.

These horses didn't seem to mind the rocky ground with their cloven hooves, but they were being touchy. They knew that the Wolfoz were following them. They walked on without a whimper until the red eyes peered out of the rocky area around them.

It was nearly pitch black out now because the clouds hid the moon from view.

"They're here." Sye whispered hoarsely and he took the reins from Ryo. "I can ride while you fight." Ryo reluctantly let Sye go. He would need both of his arms to fight these huge beasts. He had done it before once or twice whilst out on a hunting expedition, so he had some experience.

They heard screaming howls pierce through the night easily. A fog started to form in the valley and the shadows were covered. It was becoming thick and making it hard to see anything farther than ten feet forward.

Suddenly, heavy stomping sounds started erupting behind them.

They multiplied.

"They travel in packs?!" Seiji yelled angrily, kicking his horse into a gallop.

"I told you they are exactly like wolves except for their size and speed!" Sephiroth retorted.

"Then they will also try to surround us! They outnumber us and they are going to try and take down our horses first!" Seiji yelled, speaking to all of them as they forced their horses to move faster. It didn't take _much_ influence.

Seiji stuck next to Ryo and Sye to protect them, and Sephiroth and Asriel were already together with two swords to protect themselves so they were safe as well… technically.

The Wolfoz peaked through the fog and Seiji saw their long thin bodies. They looked like they had been starved and torn apart. Their ribs could be seen clearly through their shaggy fur.

One of them, who was missing an eye, trotted beside Seiji and tried to bite his horse's legs. Seiji swung at him cutting his neck open, but only the top. The beast retreated slightly then came back to try again. He clamped his teeth over Seiji's horse's hind leg. The horse toppled over, throwing Seiji off and a distance ahead.

Sye stopped Ryo's horse and forced him back toward Seiji to help guard him.

Seiji jumped back up, en guard andRowen rode over to Seiji, pulling him up onto his mount. A Wolfoz attacked Rowen and he sliced the beast open. He was bleeding severely and wouldn't survive. That one could be disregarded.

Rowen and Sye kicked their horses back into a gallop and they were off.

Asriel had continued to ride ahead and as they gained speed, they saw Asriel and Sephiroth both on foot, back to back, and surrounded by Wolfoz. The horse lay dead to the side.

Rowen rode in and swiped his sword at one Wolfoz while Seiji swiped at another, but the beasts wouldn't go down easily. The horse reared up and Seiji nearly fell, but he held to Rowen tight, as he tried to calm the horse and fight at the same moment.

Sephiroth and Asriel killed another beast with team work, but there were still three. Seiji jumped down from behind Rowen and he wounded one. Rowen laid the final blow to the beast after it cut his arm open. He dropped his sword and waited patiently as Ryo took on a completely black Wolfoz. Its right eye was marred with blood and it's leg was already wounded. It limped a pace away from Ryo as he approached on foot. The wound in the creature's leg would definitely kill him, but Ryo wouldn't just leave him there -he might hurt another creature.

It started to rain and Sye groaned with pain from the poison as he floated in and out of a dreamy state.

Ryo was about to kill the beast.

"No!" Sye shouted and Ryo stopped. "Just leave him."

"But, Sye…!" Ryo yelled, not taking his gaze from the creature.

"Ryo, please! It's cold, its raining, and he suffered enough! Should you really kill him for merely being hungry?" Sye pleaded. Ryo cautiously turned back to Sye and mounted behind him. He took the reins.

"There should be a cave just up ahead!" He yelled. "Let's go and get out of this rain!"

The Wolfoz remained there. Unmoving. He was no harm anymore, and he seemed to have lost the will to fight. As long as it didn't follow them, it would be fine.

Seiji picked up the fallen sword and boarded behind Rowen.

Sephiroth and Asriel ran beside them and they all took off toward the cave. Sephiroth grabbed his saddlebag before leaving his dead horse and ran to catch up to Asriel.

Sye glanced back one more time at the lone Wolfoz they had left standing.

_I hope you survive this… What a beautiful creature. _He thought and fell into exhaustion, asleep against Ryo.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I hope you're all enjoying this story. As long as I know you all enjoy it, then I'll continue it with no qualm. Please read and review.

**Thank you to all of those that reviewed. Your words me the world to me.**

Chapter 12

They made it to the cave and the horses were relieved for the rest. The rain was too bad to leave the horses outside, so they laid down inside the small cave. It was so small you could see the back of it. Rocks were piled against the back wall as if it had been a cave-in at one point in time. That thought made them a bit unsettled about staying there, but the rain was too thick and thehour was too late to be looking for another cave to house them the night.

They all sat down, quite cold and wet.

As they sat there in the blackness they could see things better through the very high cave opening. The opening was twice the size of the cave itself.

Asriel and Sephiroth sat next to each other, quite close on one wall, leaning on their saddlebags. Ryo, Sye, Rowen, and Seiji were on the other, sitting close to each other for warmth. Rowen asked Ryo politely and Ryo agreed to heal his arm.

After it was done, they heard the same ominousheavy padded footsteps as an hour before; only this time the steps werewalked slowly and with a skip every other step, as if the creature only had three legs.

Seiji and Rowen leapt up, with their swords ready, as the Wolfoz walked to the entrance of the cave and looked in, waiting. He was drenched as well, with one legarched up in the air and bleeding heavily. Seiji and Rowen stood strong in their positions againt this beast and it put everyone else at ease.

When Seiji started to approach the creature, ready to kill it, Sye jumped up and tried to stand to the best of his ability.

"No!" Sye cried out. "Leave him alone!"

"Sye, he'll kill us!" Seiji replied angrily. Ryo tried to get Sye to sit again, but he wouldn't.

"Seiji, don't you dare touch him!" Sye warned as he grabbed his satchel and unsteadily walked over to them.

"Sye, stay back!" Rowen ordered trying to hold him back without hurting him. Sye escaped his grasp fluidly.

"Stay away from him!" Seiji demanded.

"No!" Sye snapped. He walked over to the beast who stayed completely still. Rowen tried to grab Sye, but Seiji held him still.

"Wait." Seiji told him, and everyone held their breath at Sye's approach.

They watched as Sye came closer to the large horse-sized wolf. The Wolfoz's eyes were on Sye heavily.

"Hello." Sye whispered solemnly. "Remember me?" He asked tenderly. He wasn't afraid at all. He stood poised as best he could manage, then pulled a piece of fish from his satchel and unwrapped it. The Wolfoz raised its ears and lowered its head, its eyes shining with curiosity. It still stood in the rain, drenched now. "Come inside." Sye told him, leaning against the wall now, trying to stand. The Wolfoz stayed still for a moment, then entered slowly.

Rowen tried to go after it when it was three feet from Sye, but Seiji held him tight. It would be fatal now for Sye if they made any quick movements.

The Wolfoz only paid him a glance, then he looked back to Sye. His head was lowered so that his nose was level with Sye's chest. His entire head was about double the size of Sye's head.

Without warning the Wolfoz tensed his whole body -scaring everyone around him- and abruptly shook his entire frame roughly, throwing off all the water from his long fur until he was only slightly damp from the down-pour. Sye smiled slightly at him, even though he'd gotten quite a bit of that water on himself, he still found it funny that the Wolfoz felt comfortable enough to shake off right there.

Sye sat down, leaning against the wall and the Wolfoz just watched him for several minutes; observing. Then he limped over next to Sye and laid down beside him.

The horses were standing and on edge, trying to move casually as far near the back as they could. They were very fearful of the creature being so close.

The beast lay only one foot from Sye. He could still easily snap off Sye's head, but he remained patient and calm to their eyes.

Sye picked up a strip of fish and held it out to the Wolfoz. The beast opened his mouth. His fangs were the size of Sye's hand in length and two inches thick at the base. He rolled out his tongue to Sye. Sye put the meat on his tongue and pulled his hand back. The Wolfoz closed his mouth slowly and devoured the piece. Sye cautiously pet the Wolfoz's head. He tore off a piece of the cold meat and tossed it into his own mouth. It seemed a struggle for him to swallow it, but he did.

"He's not going to hurt me." Sye told his friends, to calm their tense bodies. "You might as well sit down."

"Why won't he hurt you?" Rowen asked. "How can you be sure?"

"Honor." Sye answered. "I saved his life when I stopped Ryo from hurting him and now I'm feeding him. I'm the only thing keeping him alive, what could he gain from eating me?"

"That thing's pretty smart to know all that." Rowen commented, sitting feet from Sye.

"Yes, he is." Sye replied. He placed the rest of the fish down in front of the Wolfoz.

The beast ate it up quickly, then licked Sye's arm, obviously wanting more. Sye pulled some bread out of his bag and again tore off a small piece for himself. He tried his best to eat it, then gave the rest to the beast.

After that the monstrous creature was satisfied. It tentatively laid its head in Sye's lap and rested there. Sye pet the Wolfoz's wetfur over his ears and neck until he felt too tired to move any longer. He fell asleep -pleasantly absent of dreams the whole while, most likely because of the poison consuming most of his thoughts- and didn't wake until Ryo was next to him in the morning.

The Wolfoz woke immediately when he did and he glared at Ryo, who backed away a step.

"Sye. We should leave now." Ryo's horse was next to him. "Rowen and Asriel have agreed to walk so we could all ride. If we leave now we might be able to make it to the cave by nightfall."

The Wolfoz stood as steady as he could and he nudged Sye, trying to get him to stand. Sye tried, but fell back into place.

"I can't stand." He cried out as he fell again. This poison frightened him terribly as it continued to overtake his body. He ached terribly, not only from sitting in place for so long, but because of his weakened muscles and weak immune system.He was dying, and it frightened him to no ends, but he had to be strong.His had to have faith that his friends would get him home before... Before.So, he calmed his breathing and he looked up to Ryo for help.

Ryo frowned sadly. He reached for Sye and the Wolfoz growled at him. "Don't growl." Sye soothed and the beast calmed.

"Sye, call it off of me." Ryo ordered, a bit irritated with the beast.

"Ryo, why not let him carry me, that way Rowen or Asriel could ride with you?"

"He's wounded!" Ryo replied. "He can barely carry himself." Ryo looked into Sye's eyes and saw what he meant. "No! I refuse to heal that _thing_! It nearly killed us before." Ryo clenched his fists.

"Please, Ryo. He will protect me and he is much faster than the horses. I'll make sure he stays ahead of you so you can keep an eye on him. Please, Ryo, I'll take full responsibility."

The Wolfoz lowered its head to be beside Sye and Sye wrapped an arm around its head. He pulled Sye off the ground and placed him on his feet with no strain to either of them. Sye leaned against the wall as he stared at Ryo for an answer. The Wolfoz licked Sye's cheek and panted as dogs do.

"Will he allow me to get close to him?" Ryo groaned exasperated.

"This isn't a good idea." Rowen voiced.

"I agree." Asriel nodded with mimiced feelings of worry.

"It's dangerous." Sephiroth smiled wryly. "But I understand what he's doing. Go for it."

"Don't kill yourself." Rowen warned, seeing no one would listen to him.

"He won't hurt you, Ryo." Sye told him. He looked the Wolfoz in the eyes and continued to pet his now dry fur. The rain had stopped some time ago and the sun was actually shining in this dreary place.

Ryo stepped closer and the Wolfoz stayed completely still. Ryo walked up to the creature and timidly placed one hand on either of his temples. The beast closed his eyes until Ryo stepped away. The wound was healed and the Wolfoz bucked his head back happily, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he breathed. He laid on the ground in front of Sye. Sye lowered himself onto the beast and grabbed his satchel.

The Wolfoz stood up straight and walked in circles a few times, testing his new weight. He paced happily around the cave.

Seiji shook his head disdainfully and boarded his horse behind Rowen. They walked out of the cave after Sye.

"Can you ride alone?" Rowen asked.

"I'll be fine." Sye answered. "Where are we going?" He grabbed a fistful of the Wolfoz's fur and held tight. The beast didn't mind at all. He looked back at Ryo, like Sye did.

Ryo rode with Asriel behind him. Sephiroth walked up to Sye.

"Could I ride with you?" He asked reaching out his hand to the tame Wolfoz. The Wolfoz sniffed his hand and snorted, but he didn't do anything else.

"He'll allow it." Sye answered and Sephiroth boarded behind him.

"We're going left and over this cave, through another small valley, and up one more mountain to our desired cave.

They made it through the sunny and cheerful valley with no problem. Quite thehypocrite of the night before.

Sye and Sephiroth were easily riding quite far ahead of the rest of them. They waited in some places for almost ten minutes for the horses to catch up to them.

"Just over that peak, we should be able to see the mountain." Ryo told Sye and he shot off with the Wolfoz reading his emotions and desires easily. They ran to see the mountain, but when they reached the peak, they stopped unexpectedly and shocked.

"What's wrong?" Seiji asked.

"Uh! Ryo? What's the cave supposed to look like?" Sye yelled back to him.

"A cave! What else?" Ryo replied snappishly.This journey and the absence of his lover was having a raw effect on him.

"You're going to want to see this!" Sye yelled to them. As they came up onto the peak they saw why Sye had stopped so abruptly.

It was another rickety bridge that led to the mountain, but that wasn't the problem. The entire mountainside that faced them was covered in thousands of cave entrances spaced apart by about thirty feet.

The mountain moved up in a spiral, with one road going around the whole thing.

"Oh, my god!" Rowen snapped. "What the fuck?! Why? Why?" He groaned.

"We should head across." Sye mumbled and he took a big breath. "I'll go across first."

"Wait!" Seiji called and trotted up next to him. "Stay here. Ryo, Rowen, Asriel, and I will go in. You two stay here."

"Why?" They snapped in unison.

"Some of us should at least stay here in case something goes wrong. Just stay here and wait for two hours. If we don't come out, then just head back, okay? Ryo, give me the map!" Seiji ordered. Ryo dug through his satchel and handed it Seiji. Seiji gave it to Sye. "Please do this." He begged softly.

Surely Sye would die if they did not succeed -which ate at Seiji terribly-but he need not die at the hands of evil, and Sephiroth did notdeserve to join in his fate.

"Alright." Sye nodded easily -knowing he wouldn't win the argument in the least- looking over the map. "Good luck."

"I'm getting a sense of de ja vu." Rowen grumbled as they crossed.

They started over the bridge and easily made it over without one problem.

After Ryo had finally gone across Sephiroth leaned closer to Sye.

"We aren't actually just going to leave them here in two hours, are we?" Sephiroth wondered.

"When Hell freezes over." Sye told him, firm in his conviction.

There was a pause of silence between them as they both thought of the problem at hand.

"What's Hell?" Sephiroth asked finally.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Yes, I'm sorry, it has been a while, but I'm also a beta and as I was having this wonderful inspirational streak I got a load of emails from all of my authors who had updated at least two chapters each. I've been a bit busy and it wasn't until I got a reviewfrom _**Lizz**_ that I remembered how long its been and decided to update. I believe this is a bit longer than the usual, so I hope you enjoy it more.

**Thanks to all of my reviewers!**

Chapter 13 (Lucky Number!)

Last time:

"_What's Hell?" Sephiroth wondered._

This time:

"The place where all evil people go when they die and are tortured for all eternity in unbearably hot flames. Flames that never go out and never let up." Sye answered.

"Okay. Quite a cruel world you come from to make up something like that." Sephiroth told him skeptically.

Sye snickered at the comment. "Yeah, anyway… We'll watch and see what cave they go in, then we'll go in after them if they don't come back out."

"What if the cave they go in is a trap and they die?"

"Then we'll die too, but at least we'll have done something. Agreed?" He asked and put up his hand. Sephiroth stared at it oddly. "Shake my hand if you agree." Sye told him, then Sephiroth smiled and shook his hand.

"Strange customs." He shook his head. They dismounted and sat down, watching their friends climb the mountain tediously.

Their friends finally picked a cave to go into and headed in, waving goodbye from the top.

Sye was looking over the map under the shade of a tree.

Sephiroth had climbed up the tree and knocked a few fruits down. They looked like a cross between tomatoes and apples, but they were orange. The Wolfoz wouldn't eat anything from Sephiroth's hands so Sye had to feed it to him.

The Wolfoz he had affectionately named Wolf, laid next to him in the shade asleep. Sephiroth was leaning on the opposite side of the tree shaving a dead branch down to make a wooden dagger.

"Hey!" Sye shouted happily and both Wolf and Sephiroth jumped.

"What?" Sephiroth yelled looking around frantically as if they were about to be ambushed.

"No, I mean here; on the map."

Sephiroth knelt beside Sye as Wolf looked over Sye's arm to the piece of paper.

"What's the one thing about this paper that's weird?" Sye wondered looking at Sephiroth.

"I do not know. What?" Sephiroth wondered curiously.

Sye held it up to the sun's rays and Sephiroth gasped. "It's see-through. And there is invisible writing on it, that isn't on the back or front. It can only be seen up to the light." He paused taking the paper away from the light and showing Sephiroth both sides. "At first glance it just looks like scribble that had been erased, but then I remembered, that you people write in ink or something like it and ink can't be erased." Sye smiled. "Ryo didn't see it because he was only paying attention to the path we were taking and no one else looked at it except for that little girl and she wasn't in a well lit room like we are out here with the sun right there."

"My gods!" Sephiroth gasped. "You are right."

"I can't read it though." Sye turned to his counter part. "Can you?"

"Perhaps. Let me have a look."

Sye handed him the paper and sat back tiredly.

"It is written in Zairian." Sephiroth informed him.

"From Africa?" Sye asked breathing heavily.

"Perhaps in your world, but in ours the entire mass of land is called Zaire and it is actually quite small. It sits in the middle of the biggest body of water."

"Oh, Australia." Sye nodded. "Okay, well what does it say?"

"This does not make sense." Sephiroth murmured frowning.

"Say it out loud and we'll figure it out."

"'_Seraphim, the first death. Cherubim, the second trial. Thrones, to be taken. Dominations, to instate. Virtues, to destroy. Powers, to conquer. Principles, to overcome. Archangels, to control. Grigores, the last stand.' _It doesn't make any sense at all. Are you alright?"

Sye leaned against him. "Yeah, but they better hurry. This poison is really starting to hurt. It's affecting my vision." He decided to ignore the pain and concentrate on the puzzle instead."Okay, well the Seraphim, Cherubim, Dominations, Virtues, Powers, Principles, Archangels, and Grigores are the nine orders of angels in literature." He smirked.

"Is that good?" Sephiroth wondered.

"This other stuff here, Seraphim and the first death, maybe he means that to be Ryo. Our Ryo I mean, or your Seiji and the second trial is us coming to try to save them. _'Thrones, to be taken.'_ That must be Ryo's throne as a prince."

"You are right. He did try to take it, twice before." Sephiroth agreed, quite engaged now.

"Then this, _'Dominations, to instate.'_ crap. He must be talking about people he will take over. It all makes sense. _"Virtue's to destroy.'_ And so on. He'll destroy everything pure and make it all evil; is basically what he's saying."

"What about the Grigores?" Sephiroth asked, frowning as he thought about it.

"Us." Sye answered calmly. "You and I are the last stand. We're their only defense now."

Sephiroth nodded understanding. "Do you think they are caught?"

"Yes." Sye nodded sadly. "I believe they went into the wrong cave and I think I know which will lead to Ryo and Seiji."

Sephiroth was aghast. "Which?" He asked.

Sye pointed on the map to the row of caves, three story's up and five from the right."

"How do you know?"

Sye then pointed to a few numbers scribbled at the top of the map in the corner. "It's either the date, or it's where they are. I think Aries is in one of the top ones so the dragons will be able to fly out into the night easily and the moon will be easily accessed."

"Smart." Sephiroth smiled. "You are quite intelligent."

"Nah, I just have street smarts. We better get going so darkness doesn't just creep up on us." He tried to stand, but faltered. "Wolf would you carry me, please?"

The Wolfoz seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"You're not afraid of dragons, are you?" Sye raised his brow. He smiled. "I know you feel the evil in that place better than I do, but I need you, please." He held out his hand and Wolf licked it, then pushed his head through Sye's legs and Sye fell back onto Wolf. He laughed gently. "Thank you, my friend."

"I will walk across first." Sephiroth started across and waited patiently for Wolf to run across quickly with Sye. They headed steadily up the mountain until they reached the third level where they found the cave they were looking for and stopped at the entrance that was five times bigger than they were.

"That is one big opening." Sye whistled as they started to walk inside.

* * *

"I can't believe this." Ryo groaned. "I'm going to die so Aries can raise some dragons from the dirt and rule the world. Fuck that, man!" He laid back. "It's fucking cold in here."

"Stop complaining." Seiji groaned, aggravated from all the vile language he was being subjected to. "You are not helping things."

"I'm not trying to help things. You're going to be sacrificed to those things. That doesn't get you just a little peeved?"

"If 'peeved' means angry, then yes." Seiji replied. "I will not let it affect me though. I plan to be the nastiest thing those buzzards have ever eaten." He sighed.

"This shit sucks!" Ryo stood up and kicked his cage's bars fiercely.

"I'd know that cussing voice anywhere!" Sye laughed. Ryo was overjoyed and laughing happily when he saw Sye and Sephiroth come down the cave toward them.

"Sye!" Ryo yelled happily. "I don't know what the hell you're riding, but I'm glad to see you!"

As Sye came closer Ryo reached out for him and Sye took his hand.

"We'll get you out, man. Don't worry." Sye sighed pulling back his hand.

"What happened to you? You look pale. Where's Seiji? Is he alright? How about Rowen? What happened?"

"Calm down." Sye whispered. "I'll tell you everything, but bare with me here. I can't even walk anymore."

"Why!" Ryo snapped furiously.

"Poison." Sye whispered. "Here's how it went down. Rowen, me, and Seiji landed in this garden like thing and then all these guards surrounded us. Seiji and me were hurt bad and they mistook me for this guy." Sye pointed to his double, who stood next to the general's cage. "That's Sephiroth an advisor to this Prince Ryo Fay Soma, dude."

"Yeah. Does that guy really look like me?" Ryo asked a bit nervously. "I mean, did Seiji mistake him for me too?"

"Yeah." Sye nodded. "We got all that worked out quick though. Anyway, they thought our Seiji, was this dude." Sye pointed to the general. "They thought Rowen had hurt us both because they hadn't seen him before. You follow?"

"Yeah, I think."

"Ryo healed Seiji and me though. He has some sort of healing power and we were fine. Well, then me, my double, Rowen, his double, and Seiji, were all in this prince-guy's palace. We sorted everything out by our stories and figured that it was Aries that had kidnapped you two, so we decided we had to go save you and so we took off on our journey."

Ryo noticed Sye was using a lot of slang and little care for how he spoke. It had to have something to do with why he seemed so weak and pale, that he was being so careless with his speech.

"Did Prince Ryo come with you?" Seiji interrupted.

"Yeah." Sye replied. "His father and he had this huge fight, but Ryo ended up coming with us. We each had a horse and food to start, but as our journey progressed, we stopped for a rest and we were attacked. I saw this weapon in the woods and I saw it was aimed for Ryo so I jumped in front of it before he could be hurt."

"Oh, my Lord, _Sye_!" Ryo gasped, cursing himself inwardly that he wasn't there to help.

Sye smiled.

"You were serious when you said you would do anything for me?" Ryo realized.

"Absolutely." Sye replied, smiling. "Damn thing impaled me and Seiji took it out after the fighting was over. It had had poison on the tip of it though, so now that's in me. Ryo healed the wound, but he couldn't get rid of the poison. He's says I'm going to die from it, but Rowen thinks if we get all of us back home quick enough he can get me to a hospital and I'll be fine, but I don't know." He paused at that morbid thought, then moved on with a small smile. "Anyway, we pushed on and I rode with Ryo so I wouldn't fall off the horse." He paused to catch his breath.

"Sye, I'm so sorry." Ryo whispered, fretting.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's. It was my own choice." He smiled again, trying to lighten the mood.

"We made it to a rope bridge." Sephiroth continued. "It was not very sturdy looking at all and it creaked bad. All of us made it across safely, then Asriel came across and the bridge broke."

"Who's Asriel?" Ryo asked.

"Rowen's double." Sye answered. Ryo nodded.

"Who is Rowen?" Seiji wondered.

"My lover." Sephiroth whispered, blushing.

"What holds true in Heaven…" Ryo whispered smirking and shaking his head. "Keep going."

"The bridge broke and he was just barely able to jump off his horse and make it to the other side. Now we had two less horses, so I had him ride with me. After that we came across a dead valley and it was nighttime so we had to find a place to stop, but we were being tracked. Wolfoz were hot on our trail."

"What's a Wolfoz?" Ryo asked. They all pointed to Wolf. "_Oh_." Ryo said with understanding, then as he reconsidered the information he raised his brow. "Huh?"

"We're getting there." Sye told him. "They fought off and killed all the Wolfoz except this one, who was injured. I made Ryo leave him alone, so we left and found a cave nearby. This Wolfoz came hopping in a little bit later and I shared some of my food with him. He became our ally and carried me here this whole way."

"Amazing." Seiji mumbled leaning against the bars. "Wolfoz are supposedly untamable." He sighed. "He must really respect you."

Wolf nodded and sneezed.

"Yes, it is cold in here." Sye nodded. "I don't feel so good." He slumped over. "I can't… we better find the others and… leave." His eyes half closed, but he remained awake.

"How long has he had that poison in him?" Seiji asked hastily.

"Three days." Sephiroth answered. Ryo seemed even more distressed.

"Those were probably assassins of the Boar Clan, according to your story. That is no good." Seiji shook his head. "He should be dead already."

"No!" Ryo growled. "Sye, I'm so sorry I dragged you into this!"

"It was my decision." Sye repeated calmly. "Wolf, do you think you could pry that lock open?"

The Wolfoz shook his fur lazily and clamped his jaws over the rusty metal of Ryo's lock. It snapped open easily between his teeth. The lock fell to the floor as Wolf stepped away. Ryo shoved the door open and ran up to Sye. The Wolfoz didn't seem to mind Ryo at all.

Ryo leapt up onto the Wolfoz behind Sye and they embraced.

"Even though you were saving the other me, I still feel responsible and honored that you would actually do that for me."

"You're the best friend I've ever had." Sye smiled. "I would do anything to protect and help you."

"If I didn't know that Seiji would be angry with me for it, I would kiss you, you wonderful person." They embraced again.

"You have to go save Seiji and the others. We'll take Seiji and head outside." Sye whispered to Ryo.

"Alright." Ryo got off of Wolf and started to run out.

"Wait!" Seiji yelled. "I am coming with you!" Seiji yelled to Ryo.

"No, go with them!" Ryo yelled back.

"If you do not wait for me I will track you down anyway!" Seiji yelled.

Wolf bit his lock off as if it were merely a cracker and Seiji dashed over to Ryo.

"Fine." Ryo snapped. "Don't get in my way!" He paused and started to run out. "Sye, get going, now! You shouldn't stay here, Aries might come after you!" With that Sephiroth and Sye started to leave.

After they made it to the entrance to the cave they turned and saw their friends already climbing the mountain.

"Go to the top, Ryo! That's where they'll be!" Sye shouted after them. Ryo nodded and gestured for them to leave. Sye and Sephiroth took off across the bridge and realized it was starting to get dark.

_They better hurry! _Sye thought painfully. He worried for Ryo suddenly and his beloved Rowen, then he started to feel blackness creep up on him.

* * *

Please Read and Review! 


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I'm sorry this took so long to come out, but I will try updating more often than this. I won't trouble you with excuses about school, or work. I'll just let your minds weave my problems for me and tell you that I will try my damnedest to do better.

**Thank you, reviewers! I love you all! –smooch-**

Chapter 14

Ryo could finally wrap his arms around Seiji. _His_ Seiji. Even though they were trapped, it didn't matter because they were trapped _together_.

Aries had them and it was really pissing them off, but they were together and it made them happy. The sorcerer loomed over them, loathing their happiness.

"You are about to die and you are acting as if you've just come from a lovelystrollthrough the forest! What is wrong with you?"

"Love is something you'll never understand!" Seiji growled glaring hatefully at the man that had taken Ryo from the streets and started all this.

"You are right. I won't. The prince does though and now that I have both Ryo's here, I can just use the Prince, whom I've wanted revenge on for a while, and let my prince have you." He laughed talking about Ryo.

Prince Ryo stood next to General Seiji as they both groaned hatefully.

"Call your fucking dragons!" Ryo spat. "I'll take them on." He balled his hands into fists, punching one into his open hand hard.

Aries started to laugh hysterically. He walked over to the only other cage in the room and pulled Asriel out by his hair, a sword drawn to his throat.

In the dreary room there were stone walls surrounding them, but this room was the largest of all. It was fifty yards in distance and width and twice that tall. There was an opening in the ceiling, allowing the remainder of sunshine to enter and illuminate the room, but it was fading fast and would soon become moonlight, which would mark the beginning to this ceremony.

On the walls shackles were latched seven feet up so you would have to reach your arms up and stand on tiptoes if you were short.

Aries shackled Asriel and laughed cynically as he walked across the room under the sunlight and looked at the floor under himself. It was covered by a black slab that was at least six feet wide. On the wall directly in front of it was another black slab, but it was nothing, only blackness. It remarkably didn't shine at all from the light, even though it was perfectly smooth. The black just seemed to absorb the sunlight. Directly behind Aries on the far wall there was a mirror that was angled. It was high on the wall, very far up there.

The slab Aries stood on glowed green as the sunlight completely disappeared. He stepped off of it and smiled deviously. Green letters appeared on the black slab on the floor as the moonlight started to filter in.

"_Neither life nor death_." Aries read and the slab moved itself. It actually angled up so that whatever light came in bounced off the slab and onto the mirror up on the high wall.

The mirror reflected it onto the slab on the wall and more letters illuminated themselves there.

"_Take my soul. I freely give my spirit and allow it to be damned for this which I wish to be granted_." A rumbling started and Aries turned back to the cage holding everyone except for Rowen who was in the other cage Asriel had been in. Aries walked over with his keys. "Prince Ryo, if you would be so kind as to step out of the holding cell."

"I will not." Prince Ryo crossed his arms and frowned.

"Then I will behead your friend." He gestured to Asriel. "It tastes the same to the dragons."

"Go ahead. He is no part of the court." He shrugged.

"You may not care for him, but what about you personal advisor? Do you think he would really be very happy with you to find out you let his lover die, by _my_ hand no less." He chuckled.

Ryo walked up to the door of the cell shaking his head. "You're going to feed the rest of us to that goddamned dragon anyway, so why should it matter?"

"Ah!" Aries laughed and reached through the cell petting Ryo's hair. Ryo stepped away slapping the man's hand away from him. "Not you, my friend. My prince has personally requested I keep _you_ alive. The rest I can feed to the dragons though. And there are two of them." He turned to Prince Ryo. "I will just keep killing them until I get down to your precious general." He smirked. "Wouldn't you just love to watch him die in your arms?"

"Rot in Hell, bastard!" Ryo screamed, his rage boiling over.

"For this, I will." He nodded and placed his sword against Asriel's throat.

The door swung open by the power of Aries' mind.

Prince Ryo hesitated, but walked out onto the black slab which stood quite a distance away from them. As soon as his foot was clear of the door, it slammed shut against any more escapers. Not that anything could rightly be done without a threat to Asriel's life though. How irritating! Damn it all!

Seiji glanced morbidly up at the grandeur of space in the room; he could just picture that entire space filled with two dragons of enormous size and growling bellies.

The Prince touched his hand to the slab on the wall and sighed as he allowed his magic to embrace the magic of the stones. It started to glow and he backed away, to the one on the floor and squatted to be able to see it more clearly. He was still shirtless and getting cold, but he ignored that. He started to speak in a language that none of them knew. It was an ancient language that seemed wrong for either world. He kept mumbling several phrases twice, then he seemed to be praying as he fell to his knees, tears flowing from his eyes, though none knew why. Perhaps it was that he was calling the very demons down that would kill his love, and new friends, or mayhap because of the pain, but it was most likely not the latter.

Smoke started to rise from the slab on the floor and figures started to becomevsible. Outlines of red started to manifest on the wall. A fire started to travel around the design of two dragons facing each other, their tongues intertwined and their bodies long and thin like in Chinese art.

"Prince." General Seiji whispered, his grip on the bars of their cage tightening. He tried to look away, but his gaze found its way back to Prince Ryo. He looked like he was becoming more and more tired. As if the very life inside of him was being torn out. He could barely hold up his arms toward the sky, but yethe remained poised and beautiful.

Inside the cages everyone was anxious and somewhat fearful, but not for their own lives.

The two figures inside the smoke became more and more visible, then a monstrous roar engulfed the room and prompted everyone to cover their ears, but Prince Ryo stayed without moving; he seemed to be in a trance, almost.

The two shapes became more and more clear. They weren't dragons of any kind, they weren't spirits either. They looked like human beings.

They were both –to Seiji's understanding- male, though he couldn't be sure. They were the same height and could have been twins if you didn't look closely at them. Their bodies were mirror images of each other.

Their eyes were narrow black slits. The lower lid of one of their eyes carried a tattoo of a black stripe that fell over their cheeks like tears. One had it on their left eye, the other on their right. Each of their hair colors and lengths were the same; short and flaring up, like flame. The color was like Ryo's hair: black. Only they had highlights of red in their hair, exactly mirroring the others. Their right and left arm entwined together as they stood side by side staring down on Prince Ryo. They were completely naked, but they had no organs, or belly buttons, or nipples. Just smooth skin where those parts were supposed to be. Their fingers entwined together. Their nails were long and clear, glassy almost.

Their entire bodies were black except for their faces which were more of a pale tan color. The black moved up their necks to their chins with one black stripe curling from under their ears. Their expressions were eerily blank.

Merely their presence caused everyone to hold their breath. They were beautiful and miraculous.

Aries started babbling something to himself. He talked quickly, then he started yelling and laughing maliciously -seeming to be losing what little there had been of his mind.

"I am your Master!" He yelled to the dragon men, but they still only looked at Prince Ryo. "Did you hear me? I am your Master! Obey me! Kill him!" He laughed again, but stopped when they didn't move.

Prince Ryo started to speak to them in the language he had been speaking before. He bowed his head and closed his hands together in a prayer.

They said something to him, speaking at the same moment, with the same tone and perfection.

Prince Ryo continued to speak to them respectfully as far as anyone could tell and they suddenly looked over to Aries, then at Asriel, who was chained behind him still, then the cage which held everyone else. All through this, Prince Ryo continued to speak, then looked up at them and still spoke, only with more emotion.

"Yes, I have sacrifices for you both!" Aries laughed and the dragon men looked at him simultaneously.

He pointed to Asriel who seemed even more fearful. Who were these dragon people going to listen to? Were they going to obey Areis and kill Asriel before they killed the rest of them?

What, perhaps, caused even more fear to course through the captives happened when Sye and Sephiroth suddenly appeared at the entrance.

"Gods!" Sye shouted as he entered quickly into the chamber on Wolf. They looked over to him quickly, their expressions blank, but intrigued somehow. Wolf wasn't nervous. He was brave and strong against these immortal creatures. Sye's voice boomed throughout the room, though he appeared so very weak and fragile. The occupants of the room wondered suddenly if he was very imposing to the dragon men."Aries is the one that gave up his soul! He is your sacrifice!" Sye pointed his hand weakly to Aries, who was frightened now.

"NO!" He screamed as they turned to him. The dragon man closest to Aries looked at his counterpart and released him. As he separated from his counterpart everyone in the room held their breath steadily.How very odd it was to see them move separately. How very frightening...

The mangracefully walked over to Aries.

Just by moving away from his counterpart, he struck fear into all of them. They didn't move as one anymore.

Aries was paralyzed with fear. He was looking down onto this shorter dragon man who merely walked up to him and stopped, and yet he was frightened beyond comprehension. The man reached his hand out to Aries, who didn't move at first, then he put his hand on the man's.

The dragon man pulled him closer and into an embrace. Not wanting to enrage the man before him Aries decided it better to obey.He had to crouch down slightly for it, but he relaxed soon enough and became fearful again when he looked up and saw the other half of this man standing where he had before… watching.

The man's grip tightened on Aries and he started to scream in fear, but the man nuzzled his head into Aries' neck. He opened his mouth and everyone in the cage could see his fangs which he dug into Aries' flesh. Aries cried out painfully, causing several of them to shiver from the sound.

The man never blinked or closed his eyes, he only drank the blood of Aries and they all heard his bones crack after a while. Crunch. The man dropped Aries. His bones had snapped, his neck was broken; he was dead. Not a drop of blood had been spilt or wasted on the dragon man. He walked back over to his position next to his counterpart and they again moved as one, now looking at Sye.

Sephiroth had jumped off of Wolf and now stood near the cage, wanting desperately to release his friends and get away from these... things!

Sye approached on Wolf slowly, but not fearing anything. The room was completely silent except for Wolf's footsteps closer.

"I was watching you before. I saw you, and I don't know how, but I understood your words. I am the speaker for the dead. Be free." Sye told them powerfully, though he appeared so weak. "I demand that you release yourselves from these stones and free yourselves of this hold. Fly free. That is my only wish; fly free." He whispered.

They looked at each other debating Sye's words, then they started to turn back to smoke and finally morphing their bodies into two gigantic dragons that barely fit in the room. They mumbled something to Sye in yet another language as they transformed. They burst from their place and barreled from the room, charging through the hole in the ceiling, causing rocks and debris to tumble down to the floor of the room, crack and breaking the stones that had held them captive for so long. Their black bodies flew off into the night quickly, and again with those same twin-like movements.

"Sye!" Rowen called out. "My God! Sye! How?"

Sye sleepily turned to Rowen.

Prince Ryo started to tentatively approach Sye as everyone else wanted to.

"He's dying." Prince Ryo whispered to them as he observed the glassy look to Sye's eyes. "The dragons listened to him because he will soon be a part of the dead world they belong to." He was in awe as he stared at Sye, feeling an even deeper level of respect for the soul that had saved them all, and yet wouldn't live to see the sun shine on his face again.

"Let them out." Sye told him weakly. Prince Ryo rushed to oblige, grabbing the keys from Aries' dead and decayingwrist and unlocking Asriel's shackles first, then Rowen, then the rest of them and they all tried to crowd around Sye, but Wolf wouldn't allow that. Sye may be dying, but if Wolf had anything to do with it, he at least wouldn't be suffocated.

He growled at them, then Sye groaned in pain and he laid down so Sye could get off.

"I'm sorry." Sye whispered hoarsely as Ryo grabbed him and pulled him off Wolf and into his arms.

"For what!" Ryo asked impatiently, trying to force the tears away that stung his eyes.

"For not barging in sooner." He sighed and they all frowned with worry and despair. Prince Ryo knelt beside him.

"He is dying. He will pass soon." He told them somberly.

"No!" Rowen fell down beside Sye and Seiji knelt next to Ryo caressing Sye's hair gently.

"How can we get back to our world!" Ryo asked desperately.

"It can only be done during the day time." Sephiroth told him with a grave expression plastered across his features. "Aries could do it at any time, but he was gifted with that power."

"No!" Ryo snapped, frustrated beyond belief. "He _can't_ die!"

A/N: Cringes. Sorry I left you like that. I couldn't figure out how to divide this part, so… I had to leave off on a cliffie. –tear- Sorry! Please review if you liked the story and feel the desire to make me want to update more.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Damn it! I have _so_ neglected this story, and I'm sorry! I would have made this chapter longer, but I have to edit the next few pages because I put the an added feature on Word that won't be accepted by the database, so I have to change the text so you still understand what I was writing about.

**Thanks for reading; thanks for caring!**

Chapter 15

"No!" Ryo snapped. "He can't die!" He shook his head looking into Sye's eyes.

"It's not your fault." Sye whispered gently.

"I feel like it is because it was me you saved really. You told me you would die for me and here you are." Tears fell down Ryo's face and Seiji put a hand on his back supporting him.

"Call those dragons back, Sye!" Rowen demanded and they all looked at him. "Call them back! You know you can! Ask them to send us home." He begged.

Wolf stood in the light of the moon and he just started howling. At first it was an annoyance, then it was music and the heavy flapping of wings could be heard soon in the silence.

One dragon descended into the room, then melted back into smoke and floated down to the ground in front of Wolf. He turned back into a dragon-man and they could see it was the one that had killed Aries.

He gracefully walked forward, causing everyone to part so he could walk up to Sye and see him well. He looked down on Sye with a blank face.

"Please, send me and my friends back to our own world." He asked. The dragon man scowled, as if he did not approve of this idea. "I will return, Warrior; give me the means to and I will return." He mumbled. "Just send us home."

His facial expression lightened and he nodded. With one swipe of his hand another diamond shaped portal had appeared. He backed away from it.

Rowen picked up Sye into his arms and walked over to it. He went through without a second thought, holding tight to Sye. Seiji and Ryo were next.

"It was cool meeting you all!" Ryo yelled as they left. They held hands as they waved goodbye and took one last look at the dragon-man before they went through together.

They ended up at Rowen's house which wasn't very good. Why did they end up so far away from where they had gone in?

"I'm taking Sye to the hospital." Rowen told them.

"You want us to come?" Seiji asked, staying next to Ryo.

"No, I'll have my cell with me though. I'll call you when I know something." He placed Sye into his parent's car and ran into the house to retrieve the keys. He came out with his cell phone as well. He got in the car and pulled out.

"God speed." Seiji whispered as they sped off. "We should go find your bike." He noted as he turned to Ryo.

"It's nearly five miles into town." Ryo groaned at the thought of walking after all they had done. Being held in a cage for days on end, worrying about whether his friends would survive long enough to save him, worrying if they were still alive, watch them fall into a magical trap and get put in a cell together, watching Sye almost die before his eyes… the appeal of walking five miles into town to retrieve his bike was not a very high one.

"Then we have plenty of time to talk about what happened to each of us." Seiji smiled briefly. "I'm still pretty freaked about all this."

Ryo nodded and they started their walk into town as they talked about the events of the last three days.

Rowen finally made it to the hospital and he checked Sye in, telling them he had been poisoned with something, but he didn't give any details and he let them take him. He waited for three hours for results.

Finally, a doctor came up to him.

"Your friend is lucky. We caught this just in time. I'm going to keep him here over night to medicate him and make sure this goes away. You can come back tomorrow and probably take him home. He must have the greatest determination of anyone, either that or he has someone very special to live for because this should have killed him a day ago."

"Can I see him?"

"He's sleeping now and shouldn't be disturbed if you're going to come for him tomorrow."

Rowen nodded, happily. _He'll live!_ He laughed lightly, then did his best to answer the doctor's questions about how it happened. They wanted to keep him for another few days, but Rowen wouldn't have that.

He called Ryo and Seiji and told them the good news. They were happy and they had found Ryo's bike. Ryo would be sleeping over Seiji's apartment that night and wouldn't be home until the following night, in time to see Sye.

Rowen went to his home, taking the roads slowly for once. When he got home, he released all his muscles and realized just how tight he had been the whole time.

As he drove down his road, he saw Sye's duffel on his front porch where he had put it a few days ago, before their journey.

Once he was home, the first thing he did was take a long hot shower. He started thinking about how beautiful Sye's body had looked when they had changed and he was only in his boxers. His legs weren't particularly hairy at all and the skin looked completely smooth and beautiful. He could easily imagine Sye without boxers, but he had no idea how big Sye's organ was and it made him hard thinking about it.

In his family he had grown up open to all options. His mother and father were semi-separated at the moment because they had both wanted to experiment with different people, but still remain married. The relationships of course hadn't worked out at all. His parents then really hadn't wanted to have sex together any more, hence the different rooms.

Rowen dried off and heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"I'm in here." He stated tiredly.

"It's dad." He announced and yawned deeply. "Can I come in?"

Rowen shrugged. "I don't give a shit." He leaned over the sink and started brushing his teeth for the first time in half a week.

His father came in and leaned against the large counter of the extremely large bathroom.

"So where have you been?" He asked crossing his arms.

Rowen had to think about what he meant for a moment, then he realized, he had meant the three day disappearance. "Oops, I forgot about school." He ran his fingers through his hair and dried his body off with one hand while brushing his teeth with the other.

His father went to the toilet and took a piss.

"Yeah, you kind of forgot. Where were you? Did your mom really piss you off that much?" He finished and flushed it.

Rowen had to think of what to say. He really didn't like lying to his father, but it was for the better that he didn't reveal the smaller details.

"I was with someone." He answered and washed his mouth out.

"Who? Sye?" His father wondered. Rowen looked up to him suddenly, as if offended. His father smiled warmly and shook his head. "You can't fool me. I see the sparks fly between you two. You aren't just fighting your mom on this one because he's your friend. You actually like him." He paused. "Did you sleep with him?"

"What is this? Twenty questions?" Rowen growled and wiped his mouth with a towel, leaning one arm on the counter and glaring at him. "So what if I did?"

"You didn't." His father whispered softly standing in front of Rowen again. He was quite tall compared to Rowen. "You want to though."

"_What_?" Rowen snapped.

"You're stiff just thinking about him." His father smiled and Rowen looked down at himself, then his father blushing.

"You're not suppose to look at your _son_ like that, Pops!"

"Come on, stop fooling yourself." He demanded abruptly, stepping closer. "Are you afraid to be with him?" Rowen didn't know how to answer that.

"I love him, and I'm not afraid. I've gotten closer to him in the past three days and I discovered just how loyal he actually is and I…"

His father raised his brow, waiting for him to finish, but when he couldn't find the words, Alan smiled affectionately at his son, and just leaned closer and pecked Rowen's lips gently, and leaving before Rowen could respond in disgust.

"Pops!" He shouted and growled. He felt better about the fact that both his parents had bedrooms downstairs and his was up stairs.

_Why did he use this bathroom? He could have used the one downstairs. He must have just wanted to talk to me._ He spat in the sink, disgusted.

Kissing a man is one thing, kissing your own son is quite another –whether other families kiss their own or not… it just didn't happen in this family. He brushed his teeth again and left for his own room, down the hall. He couldn't quite sleep well enough, so he pulled out his cell phone and called the hospital asking them to connect him to Sye's room. The lady was a groggy bitch at first, but she complied after some sexy phrases whispered into her ear. Once he had Sye on the phone he was completely relieved and ready to go to bed. His soft voice was ringing in Rowen's ear. He sounded weak and depleted. Rowen felt bad for waking him up, but Sye didn't seem to mind.

"I couldn't sleep anyway. I pretended I could sleep so they wouldn't give me any of those fucking drugs that make you say stupid things and snore."

Rowen laughed. "I've missed you." He whispered and described what had happened to him since he got home, explaining his shower in detail, but he didn't much like explaining the kiss he had shared with his father.

"I'm jealous." Sye replied after he was done.

"Why?"

"I want to be with you." Sye groaned. "I hate hospitals. I promised myself I would never end up in one, ever."

"I'll come for you first thing." Rowen prompted. Sye agreed and sighed.

"I miss you." He stated and closed his eyes.

"I'll come for you as soon as I can." Rowen frowned and looked over to the clock. It was five in the morning. He wanted to go now.

"Goodbye, Rowen." Sye whispered tiredly.

"Goodbye." Rowen mumbled, saddened now as he hung up the phone. "He sounds so depressed. I have to get him out of there."

* * *

A/N: I'll work on the next part tomorrow and see if I can get it out before the end of the week. 


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: SORRY! I'm so sorry for not updatng. I was fighting with this story, so I'm sorry. This chapter is short, but the next will be longer.

Chapter 16

It turned out that he overslept, well into the afternoon and his cell phone had run out of batteries some time that morning because he hadn't charged it. His mother wanted this huge explanation for his absence as soon as he came down the stairs and she had barricaded the door, trying to make sure he hadn't done anything with Sye, then Rowen had to fight with her for the car, saying it was very important.

By the time he had won the car, it was already nighttime. He grabbed his cell phone, with what little battery it had, for the little while he had let it charge and he left through the back door.

When Rowen made it to the hospital Sye was anxious to leave and he was thrilled to see Rowen.

He told Rowen everything he could remember before they left about how he had felt connected to the two dragon-men and how the one that had killed Aries had wanted him to stay. Possibly to accompany Sye in the afterlife, if there was one. Then he explained about a small necklace he had found in the pocket of his shorts. They talked about how it was possibly something that the dragon man had given Sye to travel back to the other world and they both agreed it was true when they found an inscription on the miniature sword.

Sye could barely read it. It was in the language that had been on the stone slabs.

_(Pretend it says it in cool letter in another language because it's not showing up right, so use your imagination and pretend that Sye can figure it out.)_

_Key of time, for a love of mine._

"That must be it, then." They decided.

Sye had been in a trance like position before, but now he was back to normal.

Rowen helped Sye to the car, though he didn't need much of any assistance. He was only slightly off balance and that was about it.

After leaving the hospital, neither of them said much of anything at all. There was nothing to say. They traveled the back roads on their way home. It was peaceful and dark out. The moon showed brightly in the sky.

Rowen pulled over to the side of the road and slowed to a halt. Sye seemed vaguely aware of it. He turned to look at Rowen and found his best friend kissing him. He gasped, opening his mouth to Rowen's warm tongue.

He almost pushed Rowen away, but didn't. Instead he explored Rowen's body with his hands. The barrier between their seats was annoying and got in Sye's way as he leaned over it to Rowen. He climbed over the arm rest into Rowen's lap and sighed with relief. He straddled Rowen's waist and they both smiled.

Rowen rested his hands on Sye's thighs, spreading them farther apart. Sye's hard shaft was against his stomach and it made his own organ stiff. Rowen shuffled his hand aimlessly over the sides of his seat until he found the handle he wanted. His seat leaned back until it was lying down and Sye laughed into the kiss they kept continuous.

Sye didn't realize Rowen was trying to remove his shirt until the cool air from Rowen's open window touched his heated skin. He broke away from the kiss and Rowen took Sye's shirt off the rest of the way, tossing it to the other seat. They paused while Rowen's eyes fed off of Sye's torso, his strong built chest and stomach seemed radiant in the moonlight. Rowen spun Sye down onto the seat so he could remove his own shirt and ravage Sye.

It was a struggle, but the rest of their clothes came off soon after, then it was only soft hot flesh against soft hot flesh.

"Rowen." Sye rasped as Rowen slid into him. Rowen paused and stared down at Sye, afraid he was hurt, being the virgin he was. "You're so beautiful." He whispered and curled Rowen's hair behind his ear, stroking his neck at the same time. Rowen smiled and pushed into Sye harder. He gasped with pleasure, arching his back up and into Rowen. Rowen kissed Sye again, then moved down his neck sucking gently at his flesh.

They heard a car door slam and their eyes shot open to look off to the passenger door. A cop stood there glaring down at them, a flashlight in hand and on them. Rowen growled deep in his throat; the moment was ruined.

"Go away!" Rowen hissed, angrily, his voice deep and low. The man seemed to snap out of a trance, he sighed in disbelief and shook his head.

"Get up and dressed!" He ordered and turned his back to them.

Rowen pulled away from Sye slowly. He kissed him once more, but Sye was tense and worn. They dressed quickly.

* * *

Alan opened the door when the police officer rang the bell. He seemed shocked looking at Sye and Rowen, both of them seemed disheveled.

"What's going on?" Alan asked, frowning.

"Are these your _children_?" The cop asked. He didn't like using the word. He had been spooked and grossed out completely when they had announced they were brothers.

Alan looked into Sye's desperate eyes. "Yes." He answered and smiled warmly. "What did they do?" The officer seemed more uncomfortable hearing that both of the kids were his.

"They were found on the side of the road…" he coughed a fake cough, "…naked and in the process of…"

"Alan!" The mother came running and when she saw Sye, her face lit up with joy. "Hello, Sye." She smirked, then she saw the cop. "What's wrong?"

"Rowen was getting intimate with Sye in the car." Alan turned to her, speaking plainly.

"How dare you!" She snapped sharply, her mouth gaping as she glared at Rowen.

"I'll leave this to you two." The cop nodded and left tipping his hat.

Rowen and Sye stepped into the house and shut the door behind themselves.

"Let's take this to the bar." Alan suggested.

"I can't believe you would do this to me!" She yelled.

"A nice long drink sounds good." Sye whispered gently, speaking to the father, massaging his temple, but Rowen and his mother were fighting loudly and not about to move.

"Ma!" Rowen snapped back. "You have no claim over him and he has no desire to be your lover! You have Pops, but I have no one to love. Sye is mine and there is no reason for you to be like this. Why don't you just go to your own bedroom and Pops can go to his!"

"And where will you be going?" She frowned. Rowen took Sye by his wrist and pulled him closer.

"I'm going to go to _my_ bedroom and finish what I started." Rowen insisted and pulled Sye up the stairs releasing him after they rounded the corner. Sye was blushing deeply, but the blush disappeared when Rowen pushed Sye against the wall into another kiss. "I'm sorry that asshole interrupted us." Rowen whispered, his hand on Sye's neck, his thumb stroking the nape of Sye's neck.

"Rowen, I…"

"… don't want to." Rowen whispered gently, a bit disappointed, but smiling nonetheless.

"… I don't know how." Sye blushed. "Teach me how to do it to you."

Rowen smirked. "Sure." He replied and pulled Sye toward his bedroom.

"Do I need a condom like with girls?" He asked as Rowen lowered himself onto the bed backwards, pulling Sye down over himself.

"No." Rowen whispered and tenderly touched Sye's organ. "I don't have any diseases, you?" He paused. "And I'm sure as hell not going to get pregnant from you." He treated Sye's ignorance carefully, not being sarcastic at all.

"I want to make love to you now, but… would you hate it if we just held each other after?"

Rowen smiled again. "That's another reason why I love you so much." He whispered. "You don't mind doing that kind of thing, and I enjoy it."

Sye was happy about this, but he didn't know what to do now that they were here. Rowen had been so fluent, yet still it was clumsy, but he had loved every moment of it.

"Take off my shirt." Rowen told him. He laid there so helplessly willing underneath Sye. Sye had to stare at Rowen for a while more after he had spoken, then he started to pull up Rowen's shirt and he found Rowen's delectable abdomen under the cloth. He hadn't had enough of a chance to gawk at Rowen before, but now he could. "Don't feel rushed." Rowen murmured. "You are in control, no matter what I say." He stroked Sye's arm.

Sye nodded. "I respect your feelings though. I'd never make you do anything…"

They heard heavy footsteps up the stairs. Sye sat up and away from Rowen, which angered him even further.

"What the _fuck_ do you want?" Rowen growled as his mother approached the door to his room, which was closed.

"Can I come in?" She asked timidly.

"We're naked!" Rowen shouted to her. She came in anyway and sighed with relief when she saw them dressed. Sye tried to move off of Rowen, but Rowen sat completely up wrapping his arms around Sye, embracing him and keeping him still. "_Go away_!" He warned her with his eyes.

"Rowen! This is our house and I forbid you from doing this!" She pointed to the floor with a stiff finger.

Sye stood up pulling Rowen with himself. "Then we'll leave." Sye murmured calmly.

Rowen was shocked for a moment, but he easily went with Sye, enjoying the disobedience and anger they were causing.

"Don't you dare take that car!" She screamed after them.

Sye pulled Rowen quickly out the door without letting Rowen say another word. His mother saw Rowen's smirking and triumphant face as the last thing before the door slammed shut.

Rowen wondered where they were going for a moment.

The car? _No, we already tried that. Too many gadgets anyway._ The park? _Too long of a ride to wait._

He smirked deviously when he realized Sye was taking him down the street to his own house. Abandoned for days and blissfully free of parents. They would be undisturbed for weeks if they really wanted that long and they could be as loud as they wanted.

It was unbearably humid for that time of night and Rowen was looking forward to shedding his clothing in Sye's room. Sye found his duffel bag on the deck where he had left it. He dug through it for his keys and he unlocked the door, bringing the bag inside and dropping it to the side of the door.

Stepping inside, they were hit with a wave of heat at least ten degrees hotter than outside.

Rowen faintly heard a motorcycle in the background and he saw Ryo on his bike staring at them from the street, but he would allow no more distractions. It had almost happened twice; he would succeed this third time.

He heard Ryo's bike whiz down the street to his house and he knew his mother would tell Ryo everything, then maybe he would leave them _alone_!

Sye's room was in the shadows and heavenly cool.

Rowen tugged at Sye's shirt until they faced each other and he had it off. Sye's bed was a full size and there was plenty of room. The window was open and covered with shades; the room was black almost, in the night, and it was basically empty aside from the bed, a chaise lounge, a TV, and the closet.

A knock came to the front door and Sye growled himself, losing his composure.

"I know you're in there you two! I need to talk to you!" Ryo yelled through the wood door.

Rowen reluctantly released Sye and sighed falling onto the bed.

"It's a conspiracy!" He snapped as Sye left the room for the front door.

He opened it and tiredly leaned on the edge as he stared at a frantic Ryo.

"Aries is here!"

A/N: Sorry it's been ages since I've updated. I really shouldn't have taken this long, but I was trying to update the story because it is so old, but… I just gave up and decided to post it as is. So, here's another chapter. The next one will be bigger. Again; sorry.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: The longer chapter I promised. I had some internet issues before, so this was supposed to go up a long time ago. Sorry.

* * *

Chapter 17

_"Aries is here!"_

Sye's expression remained unchanged. "What? I thought he was gone."

"He's not." Ryo snapped.

"How do you know?"

"Seiji is missing." Ryo's face was straight and hurt.

Sye rubbed his eyes and combed his fingers through his hair. He was quiet, then he yawned.

"Say something." Ryo begged.

"What do you want me to say? I have no words of wisdom and I'm not in the mood for anything right now."

"What!" Ryo cried out in anger. Sye remained patient.

"Listen to me!" He hissed, his expression unchanged, but his voice more forceful. "What can we do! Right now I'm ready to say fuck the world. Let the end of mankind as we know it come. Ryo, I know you're worried about Seiji and I am too, though I don't seem it. What can we do? Aries –being the chicken that he is- will have returned to his little safe-haven with Seiji which is in the other dimension. We can't do anything until sunrise. It only takes two of us to travel back to that era, but it has to be done in the daytime; that's the only place Seiji could possibly be and you know it's a trap. We're going to need to be rested in order to have the strength to save him."

"You have a way back there? That _guy_ gave you something?"

Sye nodded.

Ryo hated it, but he found sense in Sye's words and he knew Sye really did care, he was just tired. Rowen came up behind Sye and rested his chin on Sye's shoulder. He glared at Ryo, now more calm. Ryo watched him for a moment, then looked back at the street fidgeting.

"Come in." Sye murmured to him and Ryo smiled briefly.

"Thanks." He stepped into the house and felt the heat.

"I don't know how thankful you should be; its boiling in here." He paused thinking for a moment. "I would offer you my mom's old room to sleep, but its probably hotter there than this room is, and I haven't had the chance to clean up in there. You know, there might be some mess on her sheets from that boyfriend of hers."

Ryo nodded.

"We don't have a guest room, but you could sleep on the chaise in my room. It's nice and cool in there."

"Thanks." Ryo smiled as Sye led him to the room. "Sorry about disturbing you." He saw the comfy looking chair and immediately fell in love with it. Sye gave him a pillow and a few sheets and Ryo made his little bed on the chair, with one leg over the arm of the chair. He pretended to sleep while he watched Sye and Rowen get into Sye's bed slowly.

Sye was extremely tired and slow. He kicked his shoes off and slipped into the bed, pulling the covers up so his legs were exposed to the air, but not the rest of him. Rowen lavished kisses on Sye before they both finally fell to sleep in each others' arms.

Rowen and Sye lay in each others' arms when morning time came. The heat was back, but still the room wasn't that bad.

"Wake up." Ryo insisted standing over them, ready to start the trick it would take to get to the other world.

"Oh, Ryo!" Rowen groaned, glaring at the clock, then pulling the sheet over his and Sye's heads. "It's too early! I don't even get up for school, this early!"

"We have to find Seiji! Get up you lazy asses! I'm not asking, I'm telling and if you don't get up you'll end up with a few more black spots on your body!"

"If I let you punch me will you go away?" He snapped. His voice muffled from beneath the blanket. Ryo pulled the sheet off of them.

"No! Get up _now_!" Ryo shouted. Sye sat up and crawled over Rowen, falling out of the bed and onto the floor at Ryo's feet.

"Watch out for that first step." He joked and stood up with Ryo's help. He leaned over Rowen. "Come on, baby." Sye kissed his cheek.

"Hmm." Rowen purred.

Sye kissed him again on his neck.

"Hmm." Rowen smiled.

Sye sucked at the flesh hard and bit down gently and Rowen gasped. "Get up or I'll stop." He whispered into Rowen's ear and he sprung up quickly.

"I'm up!" He yelled. "Keep going." He begged reaching for Sye, who smiled and walked out of the door to the bedroom. Rowen glared angrily at Ryo. "Damn that Aries! Why did Seiji have to go missing, _yesterday_! Couldn't he have gone missing today or something?"

"First is the worst, second is the best." Ryo chimed smiling.

"We already had a first, but a god-damned cop found us. We already almost had a second too, but my mom found us. We were working on our _third_ when you found us. How many fucking tries do I have to wait?" He scowled.

Sye came to the door again and leaned on the frame, crossing his ankles and glaring at Rowen.

"Would you seriously still want to have sex, knowing that Seiji is in trouble and possibly in pain right now?" Sye raised his brow.

"No." Rowen growled. Sye walked over to the bed he still sat on and crawled over next to Rowen kissing his ear gently. He kissed Rowen on his face between his words:

"Look at it… this way. When we get back… Ryo will… have Seiji… and we… will be alone… for the rest… of the night… and morning… and the day after… and the day after…"

"The day after is school." Rowen corrected, not smiling anymore.

"I'm willing to take a sick day." He insinuated and Rowen laughed smirking. They kissed. "We have to go now though." He stood up and Rowen did too.

As they stepped outside dressed again, Sye fingered the sword in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked it over again, letting Ryo look at it.

"So can we do this right here?" Ryo asked.

"Sure, why not?" Rowen sighed and looked at Sye who shook his head.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why?" Ryo asked.

"We should probably go back to where it happened the first time."

"Why? That place is closed off and cops are everywhere because five people mysteriously disappeared." Ryo told them frowning. "I was barely able to get my bike away from there. It's not like they know what we look like, but still."

"I'll try to explain this simply." Sye started. "Their world is mirrored exactly to our world. A different chain of events caused their world to evolve more slowly and differently than ours. But if they had evolved the same, then exactly where I am standing right now, Sephiroth would be standing, only in his world and there would be a building behind him, like my house is behind me now. Get it? Since the worlds grew up differently though, in their world, there isn't a building there. You understand?"

"Wait!" Rowen went through it in his mind. "So, since we started near the Gathering, if we go back there and travel to the other world, then we'll end up in the same place we did before, but if we go over to my house and travel back, then we'll end up in that cavern again on that huge mountain with all the caves."

"Yes." Sye nodded and smiled. "And if we try it from here we might end up in a cave wall."

"Okay. I get it. So we better get back to the Gathering." Ryo sighed. "But how will we do it?"

They piled into Rowen's parent's car and took off, without their permission, to the Gathering. After parking a distance away, they approached as if they had no idea what had happened.

Yellow tape surrounded the area. It looked like the worm hole had disappeared some time after they had entered.

"Should we just do it from here?" Ryo asked.

"We might end up on a tree or something." Sye replied. "You want to take the risk?"

They didn't need to think about the answer. They just looked around the corner at the two guards that stood there.

"I'll handle this." Ryo pushed his sunglasses up his nose and slinked his body over to the cops.

One of them was an unattractive women who immediately found herself staring at Ryo. He was gorgeous and quite seductive when he wanted to be. He came right up to her. The other fellow, was asleep in a chair leaning up against the building. He snored lightly.

She had seemed tired, but immediately perked up. He gave her one of his infamous smiles and she was hooked like a teenager again. Even though she was older than him, she assumed because of his attitude, style, and height that he was older than he was.

"Hello." He whispered seductively quiet.

"Hi." Her voice cracked and she tried again. "Hi." She smiled. Her teeth were an unattractive yellow color with blotches of white. His were perfectly white and handsome.

"That bastard could attract the Devil if he wanted to." Rowen groaned.

Sye shrugged and they both continued to watch.

He spoke with her quietly, then winked at them and gestured for them to walk over. Sye and Rowen put on their cool facades and walked over to her.

"Hello." Rowen greeted smirking.

"Hi." Sye smiled intimidating her. She blushed deeply.

"Are we set?" Rowen asked leaning over to Ryo, who nodded.

"Thanks." Ryo smiled warmly and she watched them, walk under the tape to the middle of the circle. Ryo waved to her and she waved back like a dope. "Do your thing." Ryo told Sye quickly.

Sye took out the small sword and gasped as he cut his hand open by mistake. "Damn thing's sharp." Sye commented as a drop of his blood fell to the ground. He felt something powerful go through his body and immediately smoke started to come from the ground where his blood had fallen.

The dragon-man from before rose up from it and they could hear the girl screaming and waking the other guy, but they both fell silent as the dragon-man waved his hand to them. They both fell to the ground asleep. The man looked at Sye lovingly.

"I promised I'd come back." Sye told him. The man's gaze fell on his bloody hand. He gently took Sye's hand and brought it to his mouth.

Rowen and Ryo were grossed out and pissed that the thing would do that.

The man licked Sye's wound and it tickled Sye at first, but he moved his mouth over the vein in Sye's wrist, kissing it at first, then he bit into it.

Sye opened his mouth, wanting to cry out, but he stayed silent and he held Rowen back.

"No, shh. He wants this and I think if he'll take us to save Seiji, then it's worth it."

Rowen disagreed hatefully, but silenced himself. Ryo stood in front of the monster angrily. He wanted to tear him off of Sye. He could see the life slipping from Sye as it had from Prince Ryo when he had prayed to these things.

"Stop." Ryo snapped maliciously. The demon went on longer, then let Sye go and stood up straight, though his height wasn't much. He looked only at Sye, who was breathing heavier now.

He spoke in that weird language again and Sye nodded, understandingly.

"It has to be done." Sye rasped, painfully. "There has to be one close to death or it will not work." He held his wrist to his chest tightly.

"Aries wasn't close to death." Ryo replied.

"Aries worked with dark powers to do what he did. He was close to death all the time." He paused breathing. "We should go. Prince Ryo will heal me, I think, anyway." They agreed and Sye spoke to the thing in the same language as before. It opened up another portal and let them all go before him and the portal closed behind them all.

Again they were in the forest and lying on the ground.

Looking around they didn't see the dragon-man any longer.

"Hey, we aren't hurt like before!" Rowen pointed out.

"Yes, I know." Sye whispered weakly, leaning against a tall tree with blue and green leaves. "Because there were two dead travelers, so to speak. For each traveler through the portal that is alright, there must be one that is of the dead. The dragon and I were the dead, you two were the passengers." They nodded understanding.

"How do you know?" Rowen asked.

"He told me." Sye replied.

"In those few words?" Ryo asked.

"Those few words to you, spoke volumes to me." Sye answered. "You just can't hear him like I can."

They heard heavy footsteps and were immediately frightened when Wolf came charging into the clearing and up to Sye. He nudged his face into Sye's chest and licked him lovingly. Sye laughed as best he could and pet his friend.

"He has taken quite a liking to you." General Seiji whispered smiling as he gracefully walked into the clearing as well. Prince Ryo was right beside him.

"You are all here." Prince Ryo smiled, then frowned. "Aside from Seiji. Where is he?"

Ryo growled standing and pulling Rowen up next to him.

"Aries took him." Ryo told them and they seemed questioning.

"He was destroyed, though." Prince Ryo replied.

"No, he wasn't." Ryo insisted. "He took Seiji."

"Did you see him do it?" General Seiji wondered.

"No." Ryo sighed.

"How do you know…?" General Seiji started.

"The dragon!" Sye interrupted. "He asked me if that was why we were coming back here. He knew that Aries wasn't dead."

"What?" They all questioned.

"Well, one of them is." Sye groaned painfully, holding his wrist. Prince Ryo went to him quickly and healed him. He stayed kneeling in front of Sye, while General Seiji watched.

"What is it?" Prince Ryo whispered. "What has happened?"

"There's… so much to explain." He tried in vane to catch his breath. "Maybe we could go somewhere warmer." He raised his brow slightly, then his eyes fell shut. "Something else is wrong… Rowen, I'm… Sephiroth…" He fell unconscious.

"Sye." Rowen sighed and knelt beside him, picking him up into his arms. They all stood.

As they walked back to the palace they exchanged words and sorrows.

It turned out that Sephiroth had been killed in an attack as they had been traveling back to the palace. He had been buried the day before. Ryo explained everything that Sye had told them so far about the rules of traveling through worlds and such. Some of the details about how they got there made Prince Ryo and General Seiji cringe.

"What a loyal beauty." Prince Ryo whispered as Rowen laid Sye on Ryo's bed. The Prince pet Sye's hair gently. "He was so much like Sephiroth, but much more of a risk taker. Asriel was ruined when it happened." He went on. They looked at Rowen and he sighed.

"Where is he?" Rowen asked.

"I called for him." Prince Ryo replied.

"My Prince?" Asriel rasped from the door. They all turned to him. They could tell by the sight of him that he had been crying. He leaned against the door defiantly. Rowen felt sorry for him as they all did. Asriel saw Sye on the bed and gasped.

"You came so quickly." The prince stood and walked closer to him. "I hadn't expected you so soon. I am sorry you have to…"

"Sephiroth." Asriel moaned and turned away from them. "What's wrong with him?" Asriel wondered.

"I'm just weakened from the journey." Sye answered tiredly. Rowen was by his side in an instant and embracing him. He could barely hold himself from tears. It was horrible to think that Sye would not be with him forever. Rowen helped Sye to sit up. "Hello, Asriel. I'm sorry about Sephiroth." He tried to smile, but failed. "We should find Seiji quickly. This world doesn't like me. I'm supposed to be dead to it, and it doesn't like things amiss."

They understood.

"So what is this about Aries?" Prince Ryo asked. "The dragon fellow killed him. I saw it. We all saw it."

Sye nodded. "Yes, we saw him kill the Aries of this world, but the Aries from our world was the one he referred to as his prince. This Aries that served you," Sye gestured to the Prince, "he was actually loyal to you at first, then he stumbled onto our world and met our Aries and our Aries made him do all sorts of things. Your Aries went corrupt and they both visited each other's worlds. You understand. He really couldn't shape shift, he was lying to you." Sye stated and paused, catching his breath. "He can however travel through worlds and he taught our Aries to do it. Sephiroth said it, I think: Any ability one of us has, our counterparts must have, only buried deep inside of them. Aries learned that and he ordered your Aries to go after Ryo and so on and then he ordered him to call forth the dragons and so on. They both didn't know however that Prince Ryo was so fluent in the language and the rituals, or that whoever gives up their soul must give up their life and the right to any requests from the beasts."

"Understood." General Seiji nodded. "Do you have any clue as to where the other me is?"

Sye shook his head. "Aries took Seiji so he could lure Ryo out here. I imagine Aries is feeling just as sick as I am right now though. He has been here already a day."

"How do you know he hasn't already slipped back to the other world?" Asriel wondered, stepping closer.

"I asked the dragon to prevent anyone from leaving this world or entering it unless it is through him." Sye answered.

"Again, how do you know Aries is here _now_?" Asriel replied.

"The dragon told me he was." Sye leaned onto Rowen and closed his eyes, just resting his eyelids. "Seiji is here somewhere." Sye whispered.

"Where?" Ryo asked nervously. He came closer to Sye and pet his hair tenderly.

"I don't know." Sye leaned into the touch. "Aries will come to us though. He knows we're here and he knows I am the thing stopping him from leaving this pain. He must have recently realized where the source of it is coming from. He'll want out and quickly. Probably, some kind of trade. I don't know, but I'm so tired." Rowen held him tighter and kissed his lips gently.

"You may rest here of course." The Prince gestured to his room. "Rowen, will you stay with Sye?"

Rowen nodded and laid Sye down gently.

"We should probably all stay close, so I suggest we spend our time in the Hall, so that way we will be within shouting distance and we are together." They left as the Prince finished. Down the hall and into the gathering area called the Hall.

They waited and talked again about their different worlds and so on.

"Your father is dead?" Ryo asked.

"Yes." Prince Ryo nodded. "And without being able to write me out of his will, though I doubt he would have. I am King now. There is only the ceremony left now to make it official."

"Good for you." Ryo nodded.

After about an hour of silence from the outside, they finally heard an odd sound. The clambering of a horse up the steps and in to the Hall. Aries rode on a tall black stag right into the room with Seiji bound and gagged, a sword to his throat, in front of Aries.

Everyone stood.

"Where is he!" Aries spat immediately.

"Who you looking for?" Sye asked, raising his brow as he entered, his arm around Rowen's shoulders.

"You little monster!" Aries hollered. "What have you done?"

"What crawled up your ass?" Sye snapped frowning.

"Why can't I leave this world? What have you _done_?"

"How do you know it's me?"

"You're always causing trouble for me! I demand you tell me what you've done!"

"Why should it matter? You can't leave and that is the real point. I control whether you can or not, so just give us Seiji and I'll make it so you can leave." Sye compromised.

"You won't let me leave this place back to the other world. I don't trust you!"

"You're going to have to start." Sye growled. He sighed exasperated. "Tell you what? You give them Seiji and I'll go with you. We'll both go back to the other world together, then you can run off, or do whatever. As long as you stay away from us and you won't be in any pain any longer."

"How'd you know about that?" He hissed.

"I know about a lot." Sye replied.

"No, Sye." Rowen insisted. "I'm not letting you do that."

"Where's the profit?" Aries asked curiously looking around. "He's the only one of you that isn't present."

"Doesn't matter." Sye replied coolly. "Make your decision now or you won't ever be able to get home."

Seiji shook his head furiously to Sye. He tried to get free of Aries and Aries pushed the blade closer to Seiji's neck.

"Fine." Aries answered. "Come here, boy!"

Sye steadied himself, and tried walking closer, but Ryo jumped in front of him.

"You're just being stupid now." Ryo barked and hit Sye, but not as hard as he had previously. Sye didn't react, he just hugged Ryo.

"You're so warm." He whispered. "Protect them, Ryo. I have a plan for this devil." He whispered it so no one but Ryo could hear him.

Ryo was baffled, but he released Sye so he could walk over to Aries. Aries pulled Sye close.

"Pull him down and place him on the ground." Aries ordered glaring at the others. Making sure they didn't approach.

"Sorry about this, Seiji. I'm not so strong right now." Sye apologized as he pulled Seiji off the horse and to the ground with a thump.

Aries immediately grabbed Sye and pulled him forcefully up on to the horse, in Seiji's place. Aries turned and left before any of them could react at all.

They ran to Seiji and untied him quickly.

"What the hell is he thinking!" Seiji snapped as soon as he could speak. "We have to go after him!"

They all agreed and ran to the stable where ample horses waited to be ridden.

Sye's stomach started to churn after a while and he wondered if Aries was in the same pain as him.

"Where are we going? We could have just done this in the courtyard you know." Sye sneered.

"Shut up! I've done this enough times that I know the safe places to travel from."

Sye shrugged. "The farther you travel at this slow pace, the longer they have to catch up to us."

Aries found sense in this and he just then realized he could vaguely hear horses from behind them.

"Damn it!" He hissed and pulled the horse off to the side quickly. Aries dismounted and pulled Sye down with him.

A heavy gallop could be heard coming much faster than the horses. Aries pulled out his sword, readying himself. He slid it against Sye's windpipe and waited.

Every one of Sye's friends and companions entered the small clearing soon after, but Wolf was at the head of them. His ears were back, his tail swishing dangerously behind him, his red eyes narrow, his claws digging into the ground, his fangs bared, and a blood curdling growl escaping from the deepest part of his throat. He lowered his body slightly, ready to pounce Aries and snap his head off his shoulders.

"Call the thing away!" Aries ordered.

"He won't listen to us." Rowen replied calmly. "He only responds to his master."

"Who is his master?" Aries wondered, angrily.

"The one in your arms." Rowen answered. "But his master is in danger so he will continue to hate you until you release him. You picked the wrong beast to piss off, Aries."

"Fuck you, boy!" Aries shouted.

"Are you alright, Sye?" Prince Ryo asked quickly.

"Wind Talker." Aries growled, referring to Sye. "Call the dragons here." He demanded.

Sye raised his hand to the sword and slit his palm open on the edge without even wincing.

"Uh, Sye." Rowen closed his eyes distastefully.

Everybody frowned, or seemed to disagree with the action, especially Asriel, but they stayed still.

"Sephiroth." Asriel whispered to himself, thinking of his lost love and how valiant both of his halves were.

Sye held his hand out palm down over the ground as his blood dripped to the ground and he mumbled some things to no one in particular while watching his blood drip.

"What's he going to do?" Rowen asked Ryo.

"I don't know, but if he gets himself hurt, I'll kill him." Ryo frowned.

The dragon appeared in a puff of smoke from his blood and immediately assessed the situation.

"Where's his other half?" Prince Ryo wondered aloud, without expecting an answer.

The dragon-man turned his body to Wolf at first. He was still growling, but backing up a few steps from the dragon, who turned back to Sye.

"My God." Prince Ryo whispered moving closer to General Seiji.

"I know." General Seiji murmured taking the prince's hand in his.

Sye seemed to be in a dazed trance. He appeared weak as he lowered his hand.

He started to speak in that language again and Aries looked at them both oddly.

The onlookers just waited patiently, knowing what was coming, but fearful that Aries might just kill Sye.

"What are you telling him?" Aries snapped. "Stop!" He ordered, but even as he tried to cut Sye, the dragon grabbed the sword and tossed it away from Aries and into a very thick rock. The sword looked to be stuck there for a very long time.

The dragon stared hatefully at Aries, but his expression never really changed, it only altered slightly and it conveyed so many different emotions with those slight movements. The dragon punched Aries and they could all hear bones crack in his face. Aries fell back against a tree and Sye fell forward onto the dragon, who caught him and moved away from Aries only a few steps.

Wolf leapt onto Aries and started to tear him apart. His fangs found their mark in Aries' chest. He dragged Aries into the woods after he stopped struggling and they all tried to ignore the bones crunching as they turned to Sye.

Rowen walked up to them carefully, but Sye motioned for him to stop.

They both started to glow and everyone in the clearing had to close their eyes to keep from going blind from the light.

The light stopped after a second and Sye stood of his own strength and stretched. He was healed and it looked, fully regenerated.

The dragon stood a few inches shorter than him so when Sye looked down on him and smiled it seemed weird. The creature appeared caught off guard by the gentle smile toward himself. He watched Sye as he turned to Rowen and they embraced.

"What happened?" Rowen asked.

"He healed my wounds." Sye whispered and turned back to the dragon. They exchanged a few words and Sye hugged Rowen again.

The dragon opened another portal and Seiji and Ryo came closer.

"You sure you're alright?" Seiji asked. "You're totally healed?"

Sye showed them his palm and they saw the scar there.

"It's permanent, but other than that, I'm totally fine and now that we're leaving I'll be totally cool." They all turned to their counterparts.

"We didn't get to say our good-bye's before, but now we can. Thank you so much for your kindness and help in finding both Seiji and Sye… and me." Ryo smiled his drop-dead-gorgeous smile and the general seemed to melt slightly at the action. Ryo shook their hands and Seiji did too.

"Thank you so much." Sye laughed.

"It was fun." Rowen smiled wryly. "I guess."

"Sephiroth." Asriel cried after Ryo and Seiji had gone through the portal. Sye and Rowen turned to Asriel questioningly.

Asriel approached.

"May I have one last kiss? The one I didn't get to have with my Sephiroth."

Sye frowned and seemed sorry about what he was about to say.

"I'm not Sephiroth." Sye replied. "I may have been his double, but we were really nothing alike. Common aspects, yes, but we aren't the same. You lost Sephiroth and I am truly sorry about that, but you are also not _my_ Rowen." He turned away. "I'm sorry, Asriel."

Rowen seemed surprised as they waved goodbye and jumped through the portal and out the other side.

It closed behind them. They entered their world only a mile from Rowen's parent's car and sighed with relief.

"You turned him down." Rowen whispered disbelievingly.

"Don't be so awestruck." Sye laughed. "I love you, not him, even if you are alike in some ways."

Rowen laughed and kissed him.

"Let's head toward the car and I'll drop you guys off wherever, okay?" Rowen asked Seiji and Ryo.

"Yeah." Ryo nodded, taking Seiji's hand and directing him toward the car.

They walked the mile quickly and Rowen drove Ryo and Seiji to Seiji's apartment, then drove Sye to his home and dropped off the car at his parent's house.

Rowen quickly made his way over to Sye's house and found Sye in his room on his bed asleep.

"I'm confused." Rowen announced after he had watched Sye sleep for a while. Sye awoke easily and sat up as Rowen came over and laid on top of him.

"Why?"

"How come it takes two dead people to go one way, but no dead people to go the other?"

"It's not the hardest thing in the world to travel back to your original dimension. It is easier to put things right and harder to change things. The space time continuum likes things to be in order; it doesn't like people that aren't in their right worlds, so it would prefer to easily let you travel back to your own and make it hard for you to leave your own world. It's like a round-trip plane ticket. You only pay for one way, but you get the trip back. Understand?"

"Yeah." Rowen answered and kissed Sye abruptly. "It's Thursday, I believe. That means we have four days to literally screw around." He smirked and Sye outright laughed.

"Nothing to interrupt us this time." Sye chuckled and Rowen started to remove his shirt.

"Good."

* * *

A/N: Hopefully it was alright. Drop me a line if you have any questions, concerns, or if you justneed to scream at me in general.


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